Crazy Beautiful Life
by Charityx
Summary: Dawn Berlitz; famous Coordinator and Poké Stylist, known all over the globe. When her life takes a sudden turn, Dawn must face the real world and learn that money can't buy everything... but will she realise what's most important in life?
1. Change

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Wow, it's been so long since I've been on here!

So, I'm really sorry that I haven't been on here in a while. I've been so busy, and then a load of stuff happened with the laptop so I just haven't had the chance to come on here, really.

Well, as you all know, I've only been writing one shots, because I feel like they're a good starting point. Now, I'm ready to try my first story, which I'm really excited about! It's an IkariShipping fic, but obviously, other ships are included throughout. I've already got the first few chapters written up too, so that's a big help.

Anyway, enough of me, and more of the story! Here's the first chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters in it. If I did, the show would be _very _different.

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 1

Change

"This is ridiculous," Dawn muttered to herself, browsing through the many items of clothing that were situated in her wardrobe. "Six years of travelling around almost _every _region, and I'm forced to attend some pathetic school in Kanto? Unbelievable!" she continued, grabbing almost every item of clothing that was visible and chucking each piece into her suitcase. Too frustrated to even notice anything around her, Dawn threw one of her shoes at her faithful companion, Piplup, causing him to use Peck on her.

"Cut it out, Piplup!" she screamed, shielding her head from Piplup's beak. "Can't you see I'm busy? I don't have time for you at the moment!"

"Piplup!" he said angrily, storming out of Dawn's bedroom. Sighing heavily, Dawn slouched down onto the floor and put her head in her hands. After closing her eyes for a few moments, Johanna, Dawn's mother, gently knocked on her daughter's bedroom door.

"Can I come in?" she asked, showing a gentle smile at her rather flustered looking daughter. Dawn slowly raised her head from her arms and gave a small nod. Sighing, Johanna took a seat next to Dawn and placed her arm around her, moving the long strands of hair that were currently covering Dawn's face behind her ears. Rubbing her eyes, Dawn sighed once again and found herself staring into thin air.

"It's hard, mom," she said, holding back the lump in her throat. "After all of these years, travelling around almost every region, I'm forced to suddenly pack up everything I have and start over?"

"I know it's hard, sweetie," Johanna said, stroking her daughter's head. "There are a lot of other people in the same situation as you, but… you're just going to have to find a way to make it through. Besides… you might find that this sudden change will be good for you."

"Yeah, right," Dawn said, shaking her head. "I shouldn't be forced to do this. I should have a choice. I mean, we're talking about _me_, mom! I'm famous all over the world, people know me from everywhere… I don't want to go to some dirty, pathetic school!"

"Dawn, there's nothing you can do about it," Johanna said, now frowning at her daughter. "This is compulsory now, and like I said, you're not the only one who's in this situation. Thousands of people are, so stop acting like you're the only one. You're no different from them, so what makes you think that you're so special?"

"Mom, can't you get it into your head? I'm _Dawn Berlitz_, famous Poké Stylist and Coordinator, known _all _over the world… for someone like me to be going to a stupid school in Kanto, that's… appalling! It just _doesn't_ happen!"

"Get over yourself, Dawn!" Johanna shouted. "Sometimes I think that all of this fame you're getting has gone to your head too much. Whatever happened to the kind, polite, understanding daughter I _used_ to have? I never see that person anymore! Everything seems to have changed with you recently, and I'm not sure that I like the way that you've been acting."

"I don't care, mom! Just leave me alone!" Dawn said, throwing herself onto her bed. Johanna shook her head in disbelief and smiled awkwardly at Piplup, who was now standing by the door. Picking him up, Johanna took one last look at Dawn before leaving her room.

_Maybe I'll see someone different by the time she next visits?_ She thought to herself, gently closing the door behind her. As soon as she heard her mom had left, Dawn returned to packing her luggage, chucking things carelessly into her suitcase.

"You don't know anything," Dawn muttered to herself, wiping away her tears. After getting her big break in her early teenage years, life took a sudden turn for Dawn; instantly, fame hit her, causing not only her life to change, but her personality to change too, which was something that at that moment, only Johanna could see.


	2. Departure

Author's Note: Thank you to those who reviewed and added this story to their favourites and alerts. It really means a lot to me! I'm glad that you like the start to the story.

To state the obvious, here's the second chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_.

Enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 2

Departure

"Morning," Johanna said, showing a faint smile. She grabbed the cereal out of the cupboard and gave it to Dawn, who was now sitting at the table with a miserable looking expression on her face.

"Yeah," Dawn replied, sluggishly taking the cereal and pouring some into a bowl. She glanced at Piplup, who was happily tucking into some Pokéblock that Johanna had given to him. Smiling at his carefree behaviour, Dawn decided it was the right moment to apologise to her mom for the way she had acted yesterday. Besides; it would only make matters worse if she left her mom for another six months knowing that things weren't okay between the two of them.

"I'll help you carry your stuff down once you've finished breakfast," Johanna said, taking a seat opposite Dawn. "Knowing you, you've got tons of stuff to carry."

"Sure," Dawn said, smiling awkwardly. "Listen, mom? About yesterday…"

"Don't worry about it," Johanna replied, looking positively at her daughter. "Let's just forget about the whole thing, okay? Forget it ever happened."

"Well… sure, if you say so," said Dawn, raising her eyebrows slightly at her mom's sudden change of attitude.

"I know this is hard for you, Dawn," Johanna added, pouring some cereal for herself. "But, unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about it. This is real, and you're just going to have to deal with it. It's a big change for everyone, people _and _Pokémon, so… just, keep in mind that there's a lot of other people in the same situation as you, okay?"

Dawn sighed but gave her mom a small nod, avoiding eye contact. Although she knew her mom was right, she still couldn't get her head around it; thousands of people, aged between ten and eighteen, suddenly had to drop everything they had, all of their dreams, and attend school instead? It just didn't make sense, but no matter how much Dawn moaned and argued, _nothing_ was going to change.

"Well, you better be on your way," Johanna said, interrupting Dawn from her thoughts. "The next boat to Kanto leaves in half an hour, so let's get moving."

"Mom, are you _sure _there's nothing you can do to get me out of this?" Dawn asked one last time, hopeful.

"Dawn, don't start with me again," she said, sternly. "You're going and that's final."

"It's pathetic," Dawn said, dragging herself up the stairs to collect her luggage. "Everything is!"

"Moaning isn't going to solve anything," Johanna said, laughing slightly at her daughter's behaviour. Nothing she said was going to change Dawn's attitude, so leaving her to sulk seemed like the best idea. After Dawn had passed her a few bags of luggage, Johanna carried them down the stairs and placed them by the front door.

"Wait, where's Piplup?" Dawn asked, looking around the front room. At the sound of his name, Piplup hopped into Dawn's arms and smiled at her confidently. The two were inseparable; Piplup had stuck by her throughout her _entire _journey as a kid, and now, a new one was about to begin.

"Are you sure you have everything?" asked Johanna.

"Mom, I'm sure I've got everything," Dawn said, rolling her eyes at her mom's typical motherly nature. "No need to worry."

"Okay, Dawn," she said, looking at her daughter in a somewhat sympathetic way. "Well… off you go now! You don't want to be late."

"See you soon, mom," Dawn said, giving Johanna one last hug goodbye before gathering her luggage and making her way to the harbour. "No need to worry!"

"I know!" Johanna replied, waving goodbye. "Be sure to give me a call now and again!" she added, watching Dawn disappear into the distance. Smiling uncertainly, Johanna took in a deep breath of fresh air and looked at a small photo of Dawn placed on the wall.

"Good luck, Dawn."

. . .

The trip to the boat wasn't so bad. As it was early morning, hardly anybody was about, which gave Dawn a sense of freedom; something that she usually didn't have. As Piplup hopped along beside her, Dawn smiled to herself; it was at times like these when sometimes, she wished life was always like it was at those moments. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her current life. She had everything she wanted… right? But, although she didn't admit it to anyone else, she _knew _she needed a break from everything, but unfortunately, getting sent to school didn't seem like the idea Dawn had had in mind. Approaching the port to where she would leave for Kanto, reality hit her again.

The harbour was manic. People were wandering around everywhere, shouting and talking as they hurriedly dragged their belongings along beside them, being careful not to harm the various Pokémon around. Realising that she had _no _idea what boat it was that she needed to board, Dawn asked the nearest person to her for help.

"Do you know what boat goes to Kanto?" Dawn asked a young boy, around the age of ten, who looked like the easiest person to ask.

"Sure, it's just over there," he said, pointing towards a large boat. His eyes suddenly widened and his mouth dropped.

"Thanks, kid," she replied lazily, ignoring his shocked expression.

"Wait!" he called out, grabbing onto her arm. "You're D-Dawn, Dawn Berlitz!"

_Great_,_ an obsessed fan,_ Dawn thought to herself, eyeing the boy suspiciously.

"Okay, what do you want, a photo, autograph? Make it quick, because I need to get on that boat _any_ minute now."

"Could you sign my hat please, Dawn?" he asked her, eyes gleaming in wonder.

"Yeah, just give me your hat already," said Dawn, carelessly taking the hat off the young boy and signing it. After a quick signature, she gave the hat back to the boy. "There."

"Thank you, D-Dawn!" he said, hugging his hat towards his chest. "Have a good day!" he added before running off into the busy crowd.

"Cute kid," Dawn smirked, putting on her designer sunglasses. "Let's go, Piplup."

"Pip!" he said, running beside Dawn. As soon as she reached the boat she needed to board, Dawn noticed a lot of people piling onto it. Some were around her age, some were younger and some were even older than her; she guessed that they were all going to the same place as she was, which made her feel slightly better that she now knew she wasn't on her own anymore. Taking a seat looking out towards the ocean, Dawn examined the people around her. None of them seemed to look familiar, which relieved her in a way as she didn't want to get stuck in an awkward situation with somebody who she hadn't spoken to in years. As if Arceus had heard her thoughts, a tall, muscular boy with shoulder length, purple hair came into view, startling her slightly.

_Shit,_ she thought, quickly turning her head away from the boy. Double checking her sunglasses were still on, she took a deep breath and arched her head slightly to get a better view of the boy without making it obvious she was looking at him. It was him alright; tall, muscular, a serious expression on his face… not a lot had changed about him, except from the fact that he was now a lot older, and even though she hated herself for even thinking of it, he had definitely… improved. Turning back around, Dawn smiled to herself as the gentle sea breeze caressed her skin.

"Enjoy this while you can, Piplup," she said, laying her head back. "The Pokémon Technical Institute awaits us."


	3. Welcome

Author's Note: Here's the third chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_. Also, thank you to those who always review and to anyone who added the story to their favourites and alerts.

I hope you enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 3

Welcome

"Piplup!"

"What now, Piplup?" Dawn asked, lifting her head.

The boat had come to a stop, indicating that Dawn and Piplup had arrived at their destination; the Kanto region. Looking out towards the shore, Dawn noticed everyone walking in the same direction, following signs towards Cerulean City. Gathering her luggage together, Dawn made her way down the ramp and stepped onto the platform. From the corner of her eye, she saw someone, or _something_, that at that moment, she could really do without. She shot her head around to the side, only to become face to face with a photographer, hungry for some new shots.

"That's it, princess, keep looking this way," he said dirtily, shoving the camera into her face.

"Leave me alone," she said frustratingly, ignoring him. As if things couldn't get any worse than they already were, another photographer emerged from the crowd, followed closely behind by a large group of paparazzi and reporters.

"Dawn, over here!" one shouted, trying his best to get to the front of the crowd.

"Dawn Berlitz, is it true that you're giving up everything you have to become a Pokémon Trainer?" a female reporter asked, shoving the microphone towards her mouth.

"What about your designs?" another asked, following closely behind.

"I'm not telling you anything," she said, keeping her head down. "Piplup, go to the Pokémon Center, it's just over there."

"Pip!" he chirped, running ahead of Dawn.

"I'm sorry, but you're not getting a story out of me today," Dawn said confidently before walking through the doors of the Pokémon Center. Taking a huge sigh of relief, she walked on over to the video phones and placed her belongings beside her. Within seconds, Johanna popped up onto the screen.

"Dawn!" she said surprisingly. "How was your journey?"

"Yeah, not too bad," she said, taking off her sunglasses. "The only bad thing was that as soon as I stepped off the boat, a whole group of paparazzi and reporters surrounded me and started asking me questions… my eyes still hurt from the amount of cameras that were shoved in my face."

"What a shame," Johanna said, showing a sympathetic look. "Where are they now?"

"They're waiting outside the Pokémon Center. I've literally just got here. Luckily for me, it's strict rules that the press aren't allowed in here… I think I'll have to stay overnight, though."

"But, you were meant to arrive at the school today, Dawn. You'll only get into trouble," Johanna said in a concerned manner.

"No need to worry, mom," Dawn said, exasperated. "I'll leave early tomorrow morning… that way I can get there without having any press on my case."

"Well, just be sure to explain to them why you didn't arrive sooner," said Johanna, frowning slightly. "Anyway, I have to go, Dawn. But be sure to keep in touch, okay?"

"You know I will," Dawn said, smiling awkwardly. "Speak to you soon."

"Oh, and Dawn?" Johanna asked warily, watching her daughter turn around once again.

"Yeah, mom?" she asked, quirking her eyebrow. Johanna looked uncertain for a moment before carrying on with what she was going to say.

"Don't let me down."

Dawn paused for a moment, looking her mom up and down. Sighing, she looked up at the screen and smiled brightly.

"I won't. I promise."

. . .

"I think we're lost, Piplup," Dawn said, holding her map in front of her and looking at it glumly. "It must be around here, somewhere."

"Pip!" said Piplup, ordering Dawn to stay quiet for just a moment. Pausing, Dawn heard the sound of voices in the distance, which could only mean that they were close.

"Well, let's go that way then," she said, folding up her map and placing it into her bag. Dragging her suitcase along behind her, Dawn eventually came to a large and fancy white building, surrounded by many students who were all in smart looking uniforms. Eyeing the building in disgust, Dawn noticed a lot of the students were staring at her in disbelief. Smirking smugly, Dawn placed her sunglasses over her eyes and strutted towards the large, brown doors that appeared to be the entrance. All that could be heard was the sound of her heels walking across the ground and her suitcase being dragged through the gravel; all attention was currently on her.

Stepping through the doors, Dawn noticed that a large group of people, all around her age, were gathered around a large notice board. Walking over to them, she pushed to the front in order to see what they were looking at. Right in the middle of the board was a small notice, which read:

_The Pokémon Technical Institute_

_To fellow travellers_,

_Congratulations on making it here safely. We assure you that the time you spend here will be enjoyable and most of all, rewarding. Many important lessons can be learnt here at the Pokémon Technical Institute, so let's make the following years our greatest._

_Wait by this notice as soon as you arrive for further instructions_.

"I can't wait," Dawn muttered sarcastically, pushing past the crowd and waiting a few feet away from them. Heaving a big sigh, she glanced back at the busy crowd. It seemed to be getting busier, but someone caught her eye; a boy with messy, black hair wearing a cap was looking in her direction, which only made her sigh even more.

_Please don't come over here_, she pleaded, turning her head away from his sight. Pretending to be interested in something else, she then gritted her teeth at the sound of his voice.

"Dawn?" he asked excitedly, grinning widely. Pikachu leaped off of his shoulder and greeted his long lost friend, Piplup, in joy.

_Just brilliant_, she thought to herself, slowly turning around to face him.

"Yeah?" she asked bluntly, eyeing him up and down.

"It's me," he said, laughing awkwardly. "Ash Ketchum?"

She paused and continued to look at him bluntly.

"And?" she asked, giving Ash a somewhat dirty look.

"Well, I would've thought…" he said, shaking his head in confusion. "You know what? It doesn't matter."

"Great," she said sarcastically, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Piplup…" said Piplup sadly, his smile faltering.

"It was nice seeing you, Dawn," Ash said, frustrated. "Let's go, Pikachu."

"Pika…" he said, frowning at Dawn before running off after Ash who had now stormed off back into the crowd.

Hitting herself on the inside, Dawn looked down at Piplup who was now looking up at her with an extremely disappointed look on his face. She bit her lip and knelt down next to him, stroking him on the head.

"I'm sorry, Piplup," she said, looking down at the floor. "It's just… Ash isn't really classed as a _friend_ anymore, okay?"

She looked up into the crowd and glanced at him once again. Why did she just say that? Ash would _always_ be a friend of hers… yet she still had the nerve to talk to him the way she did. Biting her lip, she looked at the expression that could be seen on his face; she'd definitely pissed him off alright. He wasn't even paying any attention to Pikachu, and _that_ was saying something. Feeling a wave of guilt go through her, she sat down next to Piplup and looked into her reflection in a window opposite her. For once in her life, she didn't feel like she had everything she could possibly ask for; even if she couldn't admit it.


	4. Forgotten

Author's Note: Finally! I can update! Wow, this stupid error I kept getting was _really _starting to frustrate me because I wanted to update but I couldn't! Nevertheless, I'm here now and here is the much awaited next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_.

Enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 4

Forgotten

"Well, it looks like this is our dormitory, Piplup," Dawn said, dropping her suitcase on the floor after carrying it up many flights of stairs. Opening the door, Dawn noticed different items of clothing being thrown around the room and a young girl, around the same age as herself, looking hot and flustered as she searched through every single bag that was on show.

"Where's it gone?" she asked herself, putting her hands through her hair. "Arceus, why does this _always _have to happen to me?"

"Excuse me?" Dawn asked, startling the girl slightly. Lifting her head, her large, blue eyes glimmered as she looked at Dawn.

"Sorry! I completely didn't realise you were there!" the girl said, blushing. "Is this your dorm too?"

"Sure is," Dawn said, looking around the room. It wasn't exactly anything special; three beds were placed next to each other, a large, long wardrobe covered the far wall and a small bathroom was located to the left.

"Cool! The name's May," she said, holding out her hand waiting for Dawn to shake it. As soon as her words sunk in, Dawn instantly turned back around to face May with her mouth wide open.

"May?" she asked, eyeing her up and down. "As in, Coordinator May?"

"Yes…" May said suspiciously, lowering her hand and looking at Dawn in confusion.

"I can't believe I didn't recognise you at first," Dawn said, laughing. She then realised that she still had her sunglasses on, and guessed that they were the reason May didn't recognise her either. Removing them, Dawn gave her hair a shake and flashed a smile at the girl in front of her. In seconds, May's confused expression transformed into something more like shock, but soon, a large grin spread across her face.

"Dawn!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe it's you! It's been about, what, six years?"

"Sure has," she said, standing back to get a better look at May. A lot had changed about her; her hair was a lot longer and fuller now, she'd grown taller and her sense of style was more grown up. The only thing that hadn't changed about the girl who stood in front of her was that she still had that bubbly, optimistic attitude she always had. She'd definitely developed, from being a small, plain ten-year-old kid to a pretty, sophisticated sixteen-year-old girl.

"It's really been six years?" May asked, widening her eyes. "Where have you been all this time?" she joked, searching through her bags once again.

"Just about everywhere," Dawn said, placing herself on one of the beds that was situated in the room. "Hoenn, Johto, The Orange Islands… you name it."

"That's great, Dawn!" said May, scratching her head while looking around the floor. "Sounds like you've been living the high life."

"I guess that you could say that," she said, grinning. Noticing that May was now crawling on the floor, Dawn couldn't help but wonder what it was that May had lost. "May, what exactly are you looking for?" she asked.

"My Pokégear," she said, sitting up and blowing her fringe out of the way. "One minute I had it, and the next minute it disappeared."

"Weird," Dawn said, looking around the room to see if she could spot it. "Where was the last place that you had it?"

"Well, that's the thing," May said, placing her hand on her head. "I can't remember where I last had it, so that's why I'm looking for it."

"Right," said Dawn, laughing at her own stupidity. "That's such a stupid question to ask."

"Don't worry about it!" May said, placing her hand under her bed. Her eyes suddenly widened and she smiled in triumph. "Found it!"

"There you go," Dawn said, smiling. She then noticed that Piplup was nowhere to be seen, so she figured it was best if she went to look for him. "Listen, it looks like Piplup's gone exploring so I'm going to go and look for him. I'll meet you back here later, yeah?"

"Okay! I'm going to stay here and tidy up the mess I made," May said, looking around the room in embarrassment.

"Fair enough," said Dawn, leaving her suitcase by the door and walking back along the corridor.

. . .

"Has anyone seen a Piplup around here?" she asked out loud as she walked along the corridor, helplessly looking in every direction possible. Looking for Piplup was _already _hard, let alone searching for him while hundreds of other people were around too. Stopping in her tracks, she stood there in a confused manner, trying to figure out where he could have got to. Then, out of the blue, a young boy with big, round glasses and messy, teal coloured hair stood in front of her.

"Are you looking for a Piplup?" he asked her, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but I'm having no luck at the moment," Dawn said, frowning.

"I saw a Piplup go through them two doors over there," he said, pointing towards a set of large, dark doors. "If you hurry you might catch him."

"Thanks," she said, giving him a quick smile. "What's your name?"

"Max," he said, grinning widely. "Pokémon Trainer. I already know who _you _are. Practically everyone in this school does."

"Max… you wouldn't happen to have a sister named May, would you?" Dawn asked, choosing to ignore the last part of his comment.

"Sure do," he said, rolling his eyes. "Here's a hint of advice… _never _take her food. Trust me, the outcome is _not _pretty."

She paused and looked at him oddly.

"Thanks for the advice," she said, turning around and walking towards the corridor where Piplup was meant to have gone. She then remembered the time when she, May, Ash and Brock had to battle in order to eat, and May was _not _happy; hence why Max had warned her about May and food.

Opening the doors, she was lead onto another corridor, but this time, there was no one around. It was empty and dull, which sent a small shiver down Dawn's spine. Shaking off the thought of being alone in a place she wasn't familiar with, she continued to search for Piplup.

"Piplup!" she shouted, her voice echoing down the hall. Biting her lip with uncertainty, Dawn sensed someone behind her. Turning around as quickly as possible, she found herself bump into something tall and muscular which had a subtle, musky scent.

"Watch it," the figure said, stopping to look at her.

"Sorry," she said shakily, looking up at the figure. She then paused and found herself staring wide eyed at him; he looked _extremely _familiar, but more so, it was his low, captivating voice that she remembered the most. "Paul?"

"Surprising… I weren't expecting you to actually remember who I was," he said. A slight smirk could be seen on his lips, which made goose bumps form all over Dawn's body. Changing her attitude, she continued talking to him.

"How could I not?" she asked smugly, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm Dawn… I _never_ forget," she said, copying the small smirk that he was currently showing.

"Dawn?" he asked her, quirking his eyebrow. "Don't think I know anyone called Dawn."

Her smirk suddenly faded. "Dawn… Dawn Berlitz? I used to travel with Ash Ketchum in the Sinnoh region."

He put on a straight face and looked her straight in the eye. Then, without a care in the world, he said two words which left Dawn completely speechless.

"Don't remember."

And with that, he walked past her ever so simply and disappeared into another corridor. Staring after him, Dawn found herself smiling; even though he claimed that he didn't, she _knew _he remembered.


	5. New Faces

Author's Note: So, Dawn and Paul had their first encounter in the halls… but what's going to happen now? Hehehe, ladies and gents, the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_.

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 5

New Faces

"Where are you going?" May asked as she came out of the bathroom, hairbrush in one hand, makeup in the other.

"I was going to look for Ash," Dawn said, smiling awkwardly. "When I first got here I treated him pretty badly, so… I think I owe him an apology."

"Fair enough," said May, jumping onto her bed. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

"What?" Dawn asked, turning back around to face her.

"Max mentioned that he saw you yesterday. He helped you look for Piplup, right?"

"Oh, yeah," said Dawn. "I need to thank him, actually. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have found Piplup in that empty corridor," she added, suddenly remembering her short meeting with Paul. She still couldn't understand why he was down there in the first place; then again, he was probably wondering the same thing. Shaking off the thought, she made her way towards the door, Piplup following closely behind.

"See you later, Dawn!"

Without further ado, Dawn made her way outside to the back of the school, where most students were currently situated. Scanning the scenery with her eyes, Dawn was looking for any sign of a Pikachu. Spotting a small, yellow figure in the distance, she took in a deep breath, hoped that it was the Pikachu she was looking for and slowly walked towards it.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, looking directly at Dawn. Its owner, who happened to be Ash, glanced over at her but instantly shot her a disappointed look, turning back around to face Pikachu.

"What do you want, Dawn?"

"Well…" she paused, thinking of how to get her words straight. She _hated _being in situations like this, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it. Sighing, she took a seat next to him.

"I owe you an apology, Ash. For the way I acted towards you the other day."

"Yeah, you do," he said sharply, avoiding eye contact with her. "Dawn, you acted as if you didn't even know who I was, like I was some loser. How do you think that made me feel?"

"I know, and I realise that now," she said, startled by his sharp tone of voice. "I don't know why I did it…"

"Neither do I," he continued, now looking at her. "What, am I not good enough to be your friend anymore, Dawn? Am I an embarrassment to you or something?"

"At least I'm making the effort to apologise!" she snapped, her uncertain expression now an unpleasant frown. "I was out of order, okay? I was in a foul mood because I have to come to this dump, and I still can't get my head around the fact that I've actually given everything up, so seeing you here probably just added to the pressure!"

"What, you think that you're the only one who feels that way, Dawn?" he asked, looking at her in disbelief. "Dawn, ever since I was a kid I've dreamt of becoming a Pokémon Master, and I was _so _close to making that dream come true, but now, I've got to wait even _longer_ for it to happen! You're not the only one who's in this situation, Dawn, so quit acting like you are!"

"I'm not acting as if I'm the only one!" she shouted, defying Ash's words.

"You know what?" he asked her, looking her straight in the eyes. "I don't even know who you are anymore. It's like… you're not even Dawn anymore."

Her frown faltered and she noticed that something different was in his eyes; not anger anymore, but more like utter disappointment.

"I've apologised," she said, standing up from her seat next to Ash. "There's nothing else I can say anymore, so what else do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," he said bluntly, turning his gaze away from her. "Change?"

She looked at him awkwardly and started walking back towards the building, her hair blowing in the wind. Goose bumps covered her body as she thought about the last word he said; change.

_Have I really changed that much?_

Shaking her head in denial, she focused on getting into the right frame of mind; if she didn't, _nothing _was going to make the next few years at the Pokémon Technical Institute easy.

. . .

"Check her out," a boy said, eyeing up Dawn, head to toe. As she walked along the corridor, she noticed people starting to gather and stare at her; mainly boys. Blushing, she kept her head held high and strutted along the corridor, approving the attention she was currently getting.

"Is that Dawn Berlitz?" a girl asked, emerging from the crowd of boys who were currently staring at Dawn. Her chocolate brown, glossy hair fell down her back in loose waves, while her small but devious eyes shimmered in the light.

"Yeah," another boy said, smirking as he sneakily took a quick glance at Dawn's behind while she walked past him. "I can't believe she's studying here."

"I don't understand what the big deal is about her," the girl said, looking at Dawn in disgust. "She looks overrated to me."

"Come off it Giselle," the same boy said, laughing at her words. "What, are you jealous of her or something?" he asked, throwing a smug look at her.

"Jealous?" Giselle asked in shock, her eyes now raging with fury. "I'll show you jealous," she said, storming up towards Dawn.

"Hey, you!"

Dawn stopped in her tracks and confidently turned around, coming face to face with the smug yet pretty looking face of Giselle. Looking her up and down, she smirked and responded.

"Yes?"

"You're Dawn Berlitz, right?" asked Giselle, the knuckles of her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," said Dawn, still smirking. "What's it to you?"

"I don't like your presence, Dawn," Giselle said, narrowing her eyes. "So I challenge you to a battle."

Dawn looked around her and noticed that a lot of people had gathered around the two of them, watching closely at their every move.

"What's your name?" she asked Giselle, looking her up and down.

"Giselle," she said, smiling confidently, "Top student here at Pokémon Tech_."_

"Okay, Giselle," said Dawn, smiling brightly, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Bring it on."


	6. Defeat

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Is everything good? My life certainly is! I'm in an extra good mood, so here's the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_. I know it seems like there's hardly any IkariShipping in the story at the moment, but trust me, after this chapter, the romance will start building up.

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 6

Defeat

"I would say good luck, Dawn," Giselle said, flicking her hair so it hung loosely behind her back. "But, then I'd be lying."

"No need to worry," Dawn replied, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "I don't need luck to win against you, Giselle."

"Well, we'll see about that," she said, holding a small Poké Ball in her hand. She looked at Dawn in confidence, her eyes shining brightly. Then, lifting one leg towards her chest, she threw the Poké Ball into the air. "Marowak, go!"

As the Poké Ball opened, a large, glow of light appeared, along with a Marowak, holding its bone by its side. It looked confident and ready to battle, which made Giselle smirk with pride.

"Your turn, Dawn," she said cockily, crossing her arms.

"My pleasure," Dawn said, copying the cocky tone that Giselle currently had. "Piplup, you're in," she said, turning her head around and nodding it towards Giselle and her Marowak. Smiling confidently, Piplup strutted up towards her and stood with his feet apart, ready to battle.

"You're seriously going to use _that _as your choice of Pokémon?" Giselle asked, laughing at Dawn's choice. A few others laughed with her, but Dawn only smirked_._

"You'll see why I chose Piplup," Dawn said, standing proud. "He's stronger than you think," she added.

"Suit yourself," Giselle said, taking a step back. "I'll take the first move."

"Go ahead," Dawn said, she too taking a step back.

"Marowak, let's show them what you're made of! Earthquake!"

"Marowak!" it said, jumping into the air and slamming its bone hard onto the floor, causing the ground to shake.

"Piplup, dodge it by using Whirlpool!" Dawn ordered. Piplup nodded and started his attack, lifting into the air with a bright glow covering him. A whirlpool formed above him, getting bigger by the second, then suddenly, he let go, crashing the whirlpool straight into Marowak.

"No!" Giselle exclaimed in fury, her eyes wide with shock as she watched the large wave of water hit Marowak. The Pokémon lay there, almost all of its energy drained out. "Marowak, fight back with Bonemerang!"

Marowak threw the bone that it was holding in Piplup's direction, spinning at lightning speed.

"Quick, dodge it, Piplup!"

Piplup leaped to the side and then ducked as the bone came back towards him, relieved that he had managed to dodge the move. Unaware of its own bone returning to him, Marowak was hit, causing him to fall to the ground.

"No!" Giselle shouted in shock, balling her fists so hard that her veins were like ropes.

"Now, to finish off," Dawn said smugly, looking straight into Giselle's eyes, full of confidence. "Piplup, use Hydropump!"

"Piplup!" he responded, opening his beak and forming a powerful stream of water with white rings around it. The stream of water headed straight towards Marowak, knocking him out completely.

_Easy,_ Dawn thought to herself, a smug smirk on her lips.

"Marowak!" Giselle screamed, running up towards it. Grabbing him in her arms, she looked up at Dawn and scowled at her ferociously, her eyes full of anger and jealousy.

"You see, Giselle," Dawn said, Piplup running up towards her. "Piplup's a Water-type Pokémon, and Marowak's a Ground-type Pokémon… Ground-type Pokémon are weak against Water-type Pokémon, and considering that you're supposed to be a top student here, I thought you would've known that."

Returning Marowak to his Poké Ball, Giselle stood up and walked towards Dawn. Their eyes met, Giselle's full of bitterness and Dawn's full of triumph.

"Marowak's beaten _plenty_ of Water-type Pokémon throughout his lifetime," she said, still looking Dawn straight in the eyes, "Even when he was a Cubone. I may have lost this battle, but I hope you realise that your life here at Pokémon Tech is going to be your worst, Dawn Berlitz."

"Yeah, right," Dawn said, laughing at her words. "You just hate the thought of knowing you were beaten by someone who's much better at battling than you," she said, taking a step back. "Things have changed around here now, Giselle. You're not going to be top of the school anymore, because there are a _lot _of people here now that are far better at you than battling."

"You're only making things worse for yourself, Dawn," Giselle said, walking away from her. "Just you wait. I'll make sure you hate it here even more than you do now."

"Keep telling yourself that!" Dawn shouted after her, shaking her head in disbelief. As she was about to head back to her dormitory, she came face to face with a pair of large, gleaming eyes that were the colour of the sea, with colours such as blue, grey and green all mixed together.

"Sorry to bother you," the girl said. "I just watched your battle with Giselle… so, you're Dawn, right?"

"Yeah," she said, her arms crossed. "And, who are you?"

"The name's Misty," she said, smiling. "I used to travel with Ash Ketchum."

Showing a confused look, something suddenly hit Dawn. Misty looked extremely familiar, but she couldn't quite picture what it was. Then, clicking her fingers, Dawn remembered the special lure Ash had all of those years ago which looked exactly like her.

"No kidding, Ash had a lure that looked just like you," she said, returning a smile. Misty blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I gave it to him as a present, just to make sure he hadn't forgotten about me."

"I see," Dawn smirked, moving her fingers through her hair. "So, what did you want to say about my battle with Giselle?" she asked, going back to the first subject of the conversation.

"You're good at battling," she said. "Years ago, when I was travelling with Ash, we came here and I battled her myself."

"You did?"

"Yeah, but I lost," she laughed. "And, I used a Water-type Pokémon against her Graveller. She's still as mean as she was back then, and I thought Ash had changed her."

"Changed her?" Dawn asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"He explained to her that there's more to Pokémon training than types and levels, but, of course, she wouldn't have any of it. She teased him about being a beginner, so Ash got really angry at her, you know what he's like," she laughed. "Knowing that Pikachu was weak to her Cubone, he asked him to attack it, and he came out the winner."

"What, did he get Pikachu to scratch it or something?" Dawn asked, laughing at the image of Pikachu scratching a Cubone.

"Sure did! And eventually, Pikachu managed to cover Cubone's eyes with its own helmet and it knocked itself out."

"That's smart of him to think of that," said Dawn. "But, I still don't understand what you mean by how Ash changed her…"

"Well, after he defeated her, Giselle was pretty shocked, and she admitted to herself that people can't learn through books alone. She changed her personality, she was much nicer and she appreciated the people around her more, especially this boy called Joe who she used to bully because he was less experienced than her."

"And just look at her now," said Dawn, raising her eyebrows.

"I guess that some people never change. But, don't let her get to you. You know she'll do whatever it takes to piss you off," Misty said, a frown forming on her face.

"Please," Dawn said haughtily. "I'm not worried about what she's going to do. I couldn't care less."

"You've got a good attitude, Dawn," Misty said, smiling. "You don't seem like the person a lot of people have said you are."

"And what's that person meant to be?"

"It doesn't matter," said Misty bluntly, hesitating slightly. Dawn's eyes widened and a look of disappointment crossed her face. Misty then laughed and placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Don't worry," she reassured her, before walking away into the busy corridor.

"Right," Dawn said, smiling to cover up the gut feeling she felt in her stomach. She hated not knowing about something, but then she thought to herself that maybe it was best if she _didn't_ know this time around.

. . .

"Dawn, our new uniforms have just arrived, and we're expecting a new roomie," May said as Dawn entered their dormitory. Three piles of clothing sat on May's bed, matching the uniform Giselle and various other girls were wearing.

"The uniform's actually not too bad," admitted Dawn, picking up a uniform pile and placing it in the wardrobe closest to her bed. "Do you know the name of our new roomie, yet?"

"Nope," said May, she too placing her uniform in the wardrobe. "I hope she's nothing too strange, though," she joked, pulling an awkward expression. As if on cue, the door knocked.

"You answer it, May," Dawn said, quickly running into the bathroom.

"Dawn, don't just leave me on my own!" May said in a hushed whisper, frowning at the bathroom door. The door knocked again, leaving May to sigh heavily and put on a large smile. Answering the door, she was stunned at who it was.

"No way!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.

"May?" the girl asked, her own eyes copying the expression of May's. "Thank Arceus I know that I'm not going to be spending my time here with some loser!" she laughed, embracing May in a hug.

"How have you been, Misty?" asked May, her wide grin warm and welcoming. "It's been a while… Dawn's in the bathroom because she didn't want to answer the door."

"Dawn Berlitz?"

"Yeah, the Dawn that used to travel with Ash, just like us."

"Strange," Misty said, walking over towards the bathroom door, "Three roommates who all used to be travelling partners of Ash Ketchum."

"Coincidence…" May said, her finger on her chin.

"It's okay, Dawn," Misty said, raising her voice so Dawn could hear her through the door. "It's me, Misty, the girl you met earlier."

The door suddenly opened and revealed a flustered and surprised looking Dawn, who grinned a mischievous grin.

"You know, I think this could work quite nicely," she said, strutting out of the door and placing herself on her bed. "We already seem to be getting along, and we've all travelled with Ash at some point in our lives… what could be better?"

"A couple of hot guys who could live in the bathroom," May said, her eyes gleaming at the thought. Rolling her eyes, Misty placed her bags beside the last remaining bed in the room and stretched her legs out.

"Now _that_ would be nice," she agreed, smiling as her head hit the pillow.

Taking out her hair clips, Dawn stood up from her seat and slowly walked over towards the window, opening it slightly. The sun was setting, leaving radiant shades of red, orange and pink all over the sky. With her hair blowing in the wind, Dawn took in a deep breath and looked out towards the scenery in front of her. The school grounds were empty and ghostly, which calmed her in a way. Then, emerging from the front doors of the school, a shadow came into view, heading towards the gymnasium at the other side of the school ground. Looking closely, Dawn recognised the figure instantly, leaving a small grin on her lips.

"I'm going to go for a walk," she said, heading towards the door. "I need some fresh air."

"Okay, whatever floats your boat," May said casually.

"See you later, Dawn."

Closing the door, Dawn ran her fingers through her hair and smiled. Surprisingly, being around May and Misty made her feel much better about being at Pokémon Tech, but she still had that one thought stuck in the back of her mind, that one thought about someone who she never really thought about before. Smirking once again, she left the main part of the school and walked across the school ground towards the gymnasium.


	7. Lucky

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated. Tonsillitis decided to infect me and quite frankly, school is more important than FanFiction at the moment. Nonetheless, here's the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_ and as promised, the IkariShipping starts from here.

Enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 7

Lucky

Dawn carefully crept towards the entrance to the gymnasium, making sure her movements were silent and smooth. Standing with her back against the wall, she slowly turned her head to the side and eyed the figure on the battlefield, her eyes gleaming with suspicion. He stood there casually, inspecting the large hall. Then, taking out a Poké Ball, he changed his position, ready to train. A large, red beam of light then appeared, revealing the Pokémon he was going to work with.

"Torterra, Leaf Storm," he said, watching the Pokémon's every move. The leaves on Torterra's back started glowing light green, releasing a strong cyclone of wind and green leaves from the tree on its back. It grew larger and larger within seconds, causing Dawn to stare in astonishment, her eyes unable to leave the Pokémon.

_He always had strong Pokémon_, Dawn thought to herself, still watching the move becoming stronger and stronger. She then set her gaze upon the trainer; he always had that fierce, bad boy attitude about him which never failed to make explosions like fireworks go off in her stomach.

"Good. Now, release the attack towards me," he said, standing confidently with his arms by his sides. The Pokémon nodded and released the attack with great strength. As it headed towards him, Dawn found herself gasp; it quickly sunk in of what he had ordered Torterra to do, and in her eyes, it didn't sound safe… at all. She then realized she was holding her breath; something she hardly ever did when watching battles, let alone someone training their Pokémon.

"Torterra!" the Pokémon shouted. The large glow of green blew straight past the trainer, causing him to catch his balance. His hair blew all over the place, covering up the serious expression that could be seen on his face before. Then, it crashed into the wall behind him, causing an almighty shake and cloud of smoke to appear.

He walked towards Torterra and knelt down in front of him, placing his hand on top of his head. "Good. You've improved," he said, praising the Pokémon.

Still peering through the gap in the door, Dawn caused it to move, which therefore caused it to creak. Losing her balance, the door swung open and she fell straight on the floor before coming eye to eye with the trainer, even though they were at a distance. He looked at her with suspicion and returned Torterra before walking towards her, causing her to hold her breath again.

_Shit, shit, shit_, she thought, still unable to take her gaze away from him. As soon as he approached her, she shook her head and gave him an awkward smile.

"Well, look who it is," he said, smirking at her as she lay awkwardly on the floor, her face flushed red.

"Yeah… hey, Paul," she said, standing up and ruffling her hair. Their eyes met and she found herself lost in his almost instantly; they were dark and mysterious, onyx in colour.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly, walking towards the middle of the battlefield.

"Oh," she paused, biting her lip. She couldn't exactly tell him that she saw him walking across the school ground and that she decided to follow him due to curiosity, could she? No, she had to think of something else, and quick. "I… was walking back to my dormitory and I saw you training…"

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her face turning bright red. "I mean… well, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, trying her best to act casual by looking at her nails.

"Hn," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. She bit her lip once again, but this time, he saw. He had to admit it; she was attractive, no one could deny it, and her feisty attitude seemed to add on a little extra, but he couldn't help but notice something was different about her.

"So… what's been the story with you, then? I haven't spoken to you properly since we were kids," Dawn said, casually walking towards Paul, her arms crossed.

"Not much," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Travelled around the regions, competed in a few gym battles, went back to the Sinnoh League not long ago… but, I bet it's a completely different story for you."

"Sure is," she said. "I had a _great_ life. My designs for Pokémon were being used _everywhere_, I was on the front cover of almost _every _fashion magazine and I'd travelled to almost _every _region, but then everything changed and now I'm stuck here in this pathetic excuse of a school."

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly before answering her.

"Could be worse."

Dawn looked at him stupidly and laughed haughtily.

"Nothing could be worse than this place," she said, rolling her eyes. "I had everything. I was at the _top_ of my game."

"So were a lot of other people that are here now," he answered back, his eyes meeting hers again. "Including me."

She paused. All she could do was stare at him. His words were so simple, yet they managed to leave her speechless, making her look deeper into the situation. He definitely wasn't the Paul that _she _remembered… he still had that fierce aroma around him, yet something had changed.

"I know," she said, looking at the floor. Then, noticing the awkward silence that was hanging in the air, she decided to move onto a different topic. "So, Paul… what's with the change, huh? You're actually making the effort to talk for once."

"I haven't changed. I've just matured… realised what a dick I used to be."

"Yeah, you used to be a right dick at times," she laughed, remembering how she, Ash and Brock used to despise Paul and the way he treated his Pokémon. "But, you know what? I prefer you this way… easy to talk to, laidback and… reasonable."

"Hn," he said once again, eyeing her up and down. "Same goes for you. You don't seem like the immature, irritating and irresponsible kid you used to be."

"I grew up. Started doing things my own way and made my own decisions instead of following people around all the time," she said, crossing her arms. "Although, I think I might of changed in a bad way, too… especially with the way I treat people. Take Ash, for example."

"You still talk to him?" Paul asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, sort of," she said, putting her hand behind her head. "I ran into him on my first day here, but I just didn't want to talk to him and I pissed him off pretty badly."

"He'll come around," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Have you kept in touch with him since you travelled together?"

"No… but, it wasn't like I didn't _try _to keep in touch," she lied, biting her lip. He narrowed his eyes at her and quirked his eyebrow once again. "So maybe I didn't put in the effort to keep in touch, but he carried on travelling and I had stuff to do with Coordinating and my designs, you know? We both went our separate ways."

"That's probably why he got so pissed off with you, then," he said. She gave him a confused look and, sighing, he put his hand to his forehead. "You travelled with him throughout the whole of Sinnoh. He was there for you throughout all your Contests, so think about it. You were one of his best mates, so for you to completely ignore him after all that you went through and then not talk to him when you finally see each other again, of course he's gonna be pissed off with you."

An extreme look of guilt suddenly covered her face as she looked at the floor. She'd definitely changed over the past few years, obviously physically, but more so, mentally. He could tell that the way she treated people had dropped, and her personality in general had become the complete opposite of what it was before; shallow, careless and over-proud.

"As for this place," he continued, causing her to look at him once again. "Just think about it. I'm equal to you. I don't really want to be here either. I'd much rather be out there, travelling, but I can't anymore. But, you've just got to get over it and move along with it. And, you should think yourself lucky."

"Lucky?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.

"You live the high life. You're famous. You have fans. There's a lot of people that would do anything to have a life like yours, so… just consider that."

He started walking away towards the doors before Dawn tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you," she said. "You've made me think about a lot of things tonight."

"Sure," he said, the same deep tone he always had as his voice.

"Also," she said, eyeing him and quirking an eyebrow. "You _don't remember_ me, huh?" she asked him, referring to when they spoke in the corridor the other day. He smirked, but then returned the smile.

"Catch you later, _Dawn_," he said, walking out of the gymnasium and leaving Dawn to reflect on her thoughts.

_If I'm so lucky… then why do I feel like there's a huge part of me missing?_


	8. Old Friends, Old Rivals

Author's Note: It's me again!

So, today I've been writing the next few chapters for _Crazy Beautiful Life_, and I couldn't resist it anymore; I _had _to update! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I can't wait until I decide to upload the chapter after this one… enough of my babbling, enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 8

Old Friends, Old Rivals

"This place is pretty impressive," May said, looking around the large Coordinating hall that she and Dawn had just entered. Four battle fields were present, large enough for any combination. The ceiling was clear glass which lighted up the room, making it a more pleasant place to train. "I think I could train… crap."

"Crap?" Dawn asked, confused by May's words and behaviour. She suddenly paused and stared straight ahead of her, confusing Dawn even more.

"No, no, no, _please _don't tell me that's him! This _cannot _be happening!"

"What can't be happening, May? What are you freaking out about?"

"_That's _what I'm freaking out about!" May said, grabbing Dawn by the shoulders and turning her around so she was facing the other students. She looked at them dumbly and then gave May a confused look, still indicating that she didn't understand. "Arceus, Dawn, _Drew_, the guy over there with the green hair! I used to travel with him and he was my rival and now he's looking straight over here at us, shit!"

"Oh, _I_ remember now," Dawn said mischievously, smirking at May. "You two had something going on, didn't you?"

"No we did not!" May protested, still looking in Drew's direction. "He was my rival and I travelled with him for a while with Harley and Solidad, _that's all_."

"But, didn't he always give you roses?"

"How do _you _know that?" May asked, full attention on Dawn now.

"Ash might of told me a bit about Drew after you left us in Sinnoh," Dawn said, biting her lip. "He just mentioned how you and Drew had a pretty close relationship and how he always gave you roses, but he never understood why… but, it's _completely _obvious now."

"Well screw what Ash told you, _none _of it's true," denied May, looking at Dawn awkwardly. She was tapping her fingers together constantly, which meant two things; she was nervous and she was lying. "So maybe he _did _give me roses, _and _we were pretty close at one point, but all of that's in the past now and I better shut up because he's walking straight towards us."

"Well, I guess it's my time to leave then," Dawn said, grinning at May. Her face completely fell as Dawn walked away, and within seconds, she came eye to eye with a pair of deep, almost hypnotising, emerald green eyes.

"Well, I didn't expect to see _you _here," he said in the same cocky, sarcastic yet captivating voice he always had.

"Likewise," May said, trying her best to not act nervous. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't doing a very good job, and Drew happened to realise she was feeling uneasy.

"So, where have you been, May? I take it you haven't won any contests lately, seeing as I haven't heard of your name in a while, but that's not exactly surprising," he said, throwing his signature smirk at her as well as his signature hair flick that he picked up all those years ago.

"What _I've _been doing is none of your business, Drew," she retaliated, feeling herself getting wound up inside. "I see _you _haven't changed a bit. Still haven't grown up yet?"

"Oh I've grown up, May," he said, locking eyes with her. "I just _love _teasing you."

She was lost for words, unable to lose the connection she currently had with him. He smirked once again and turned around, heading back towards the other students. He then stopped and turned around to face her.

"See you around, May. Looks like I'm not the only one who's grown up," he said casually, flicking his hair once again while throwing her a bright, red rose.

Her mouth dropped and she felt herself going red in the face. She watched him walk away and surprisingly, she found herself grinning. Was he… _complimenting _her? Whatever it was, she knew that he'd noticed her and looked at her in a different way, which made her blush even more. Turning around, she spotted Dawn waving at her in the crowd, so she bit her lip and tried to hide the large grin that she was showing, but it just didn't seem to go away.

"You're grinning… _something _happened just then, and I want to know."

"Nothing happened," May said, biting her lip once again. "He just… teased me, as usual… same old Drew."

"Uh-huh. And, you're grinning and blushing uncontrollably because?"

"Well, he… he said he's not the only one who's grown up, but he looked at me in a way he's never really looked at me before… and, of course, he gave me a rose… but I think he complimented me?"

"Yeah, he did, May," Dawn said, glancing over at Drew. "And, he's still checking you out now, so I think you've made him realise how much he wants you," she teased, winking at her.

"Shut up!" said May, hitting Dawn on the shoulder, her cheeks bright red. "Anyway, I think you have company," she said, nodding towards two students that were approaching them.

"Hello, _Dee Dee_," the boy said, tapping Dawn on the shoulder. Her face fell and she turned around, her eyes like daggers.

"Call me that again, and I swear, you will regret it," she said between gritted teeth.

"You know I'm only messing with ya!"

"Well, I suggest you quit messing with me and _get lost_, Kenny."

"Whoa, since when did you learn to talk to someone like that?" another person asked, interrupting their conversation. Dawn shot her head around to the side and looked at the person in surprise.

"Zoey? You're here too?"

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing," she said, frowning at Dawn.

"Sorry, it's just that you startled me," said Dawn, thinking carefully about how she worded things. She remembered her meeting with Ash the other day and how she treated him, and she wasn't willing to do it again. "Sorry about that, Kenny. You know how I get when you call me Dee Dee."

"It was nothing," he said, smiling. "How are ya, Dawn? We haven't spoken to you in _years_."

"I'm good, thank you… but, it's tough with what I do, you know? Sort of takes out your social life, I guess…"

"You sure don't make it look tough," Zoey said, quirking an eyebrow. "I mean, from the amount of stories there are about you in magazines stating how you have everything you need in life, seems to me you don't really care about having a social life."

"Can we talk about something else, please? Or, if that's all you came to talk to me about, then maybe you should just go."

"Sure. Well, how about you come and talk to us when you've had a change of attitude?"

She paused and looked Zoey dead in the eyes. The atmosphere between the three was becoming extremely awkward, and Dawn figured that she was the only one that could make amendments. Sighing, she then pulled together a warm smile.

"I'm sorry," she said, crossing her arms together. "I know I haven't really made the effort in the past few years, but… anyway, can we… start over, do you think?" she asked, hopeful.

"Only if you put in the effort to make it work," Zoey said, smiling at Dawn.

"Of course," said Dawn, confidence in her eyes. "Well, it was good talking to you, but I better go and see May again. She looks pretty lost over there," she said, glancing over at May and laughing at the sight of her in the middle of the crowd on her own, looking around helplessly.

"Sure. Catch you later, Dawn."

"See you later, _Dee Dee_."

She laughed sarcastically at Kenny before making her way towards May, dodging the people that stepped across her path. Before she could even reach her, she was confronted by a familiar looking face, but unfortunately, she wasn't pleased to see it.

"Well, if it isn't Dawn Berlitz," she said sarcastically, looking Dawn up and down. "I must say, it sure is good seeing _you _here."

"Ursula," Dawn grimaced, copying her rival by looking her up and down.

"This is just brilliant," she said, smirking slyly. "Dawn Berlitz, top Coordinator who's gonna get her ass kicked by _me. _Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, well, let's not judge that too quickly now, Ursula. You might be surprised."

"Please! You only _just_ managed to beat me all those years ago, and even if I do say so myself, I've improved _a lot_, so beating you should be _easy _now."

"You're not the only one that's improved. Bye, Ursula," she said, pushing past her and walking back to May.

"Who was that?" May asked with curiosity, watching Ursala walk away.

"Just an old rival," Dawn said, throwing Ursula a dirty look.

"I take it she's not a friendly rival?"

"You could say that," she said. "Anyway, I think they've _finally _done sorting out the groups, so we can actually train now."

"Yeah, and just my luck, Drew's in the same class as me and you. Things couldn't be better!" May said sarcastically, taking a quick glance at him in the process.

"Don't think of it as a bad thing, May," Dawn said, raising her eyebrows. "This can be your chance to reminisce on the past. Bring up old memories. And relationships…"

"Don't push it," said May, scowling at Dawn. She then grinned and they headed towards an open battle field, ready to train for the hour.


	9. Connection

Author's Note: Hey everyone! How are you all? I hope you're all well!

So, I was watching _StarStruck _earlier, you know, Disney? Anyway, I couldn't help but think of how much Sterling Knight reminds me of Drew…don't you think? Mainly his appearance, but I can _really _imagine Drew looking similar to him if he were to be a real person! Just thought I'd share that with you, as I actually _love _the film!

Moving on, here's the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_. I hope you enjoy it!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 9

Connection

As soon as the bell rang, all the students of Pokémon Tech made their way out of the building, relieved that it was a hot, Friday afternoon, which only meant one thing; freedom. Making her way through the woodland that was next to the school, Dawn breathed in the fresh air and smiled. She could finally have a moment to reflect on the week and have some time to herself. Finding a spot by a nearby stream, she laid herself on the grass and shut her eyes, taking in the soft breeze that caressed her skin.

_It'd be nice to have moments like this more often,_ she thought to herself, looking up at the trees that surrounded her. She then heard the sound of a twig snap, making her sit up and turn around instantly. Squinting through the bushes, she saw a figure approaching her, but she soon relaxed when she discovered who it was.

"Followed me, did you Paul?" she asked, eyeing him mischievously.

"I like to stroll through here now and again," he said, sitting down next to her. "Gives me the chance to think about things."

"True… it's so peaceful in these woodlands."

"Unless _you're_ here," he teased, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, if you don't want me here then I'll go," she said, pushing herself up off the grass.

"No," said Paul, gently taking hold of her arm.

She narrowed her eyes, a smirk on her lips, but she then gave him a warm smile. She sat back down and suddenly felt nervous; she'd never seen Paul do something like that before, especially to someone like her. Getting herself comfortable, she noticed how close she was to Paul, which only added to the pressure.

"Spoken to Ash yet?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"No, I haven't," she admitted, looking at the grass. "I haven't seen him around, and… I have this feeling that he's purposely avoiding me."

"We both know what he's like," Paul said. "He'll come around eventually. It's the sort of person he is."

"I hope so… I just… I don't know why I was so harsh to him. We went through so much together, you know? He helped me through a lot, and if it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be where I am now… Arceus, look at me. I don't even know who I am anymore."

"You're the same person you always were," said Paul, wiping away a small strand of hair that was covering her face. "You've just forgotten what's really important in life."

"Still," she said, picking at the grass. "I can't change the past, can I?"

"No," said Paul, looking out towards the small stream. "But you can change the future."

She looked up at him and felt a rush of excitement go through her stomach. Here she was again, talking to Paul, the used-to-be asshole like she'd spoken to him for years, like he was… someone special. The whole thing was surreal to her. Out of everyone; May, Misty, her mom… Paul was the only one who she could truly talk to about more or less everything.

"You're right," she said, smiling. "Everything you say is right. I can't talk to anyone else the way I do with you, it's just… weird."

"Same with you," he said, eyeing her carefully. "You know, I used to think you were just some irritating and spoilt celebrity, but it looks like I've been mistaken."

"I'm glad that I've proven you wrong," she grinned. He smiled faintly and instantly got caught in her eyes; they were deep, so deep that you could get lost in their crystal blue appearance. They always reflected her feelings, and he could see that she was nervous and possibly scared; of what, he wasn't sure, but for some reason, he had the same feeling in his stomach as she did.

_Just look away from her,_ he said to himself in his head. It proved to fail, as he couldn't lead his gaze away from hers; their eyes were locked together, like they'd suddenly connected and were unable to release themselves. What _was _this feeling he always got around her? He'd never felt it before, with anyone, only Dawn. She had ways of controlling his thoughts and actions, even when she didn't even try. It was how she captivated him like nobody else; she managed to bring out ways in him that no one else had ever seen.

_I can't look away from him_, Dawn said to herself as she stared into his eyes. She had no idea what was going through his head at that moment; confusion? Lust? Happiness? All she knew was that whatever he was feeling, she felt the same. Everywhere was silent; just them, the sound of the stream, the sound of the trees blowing in the wind and their anxiety rushing through them. Then, ever so slowly, she felt his soft breath getting closer to her face. Both of them were moving towards each other, both aware of what they were about to do.

_I can't… but I need to, _Paul thought to himself as he slowly moved in, making sure the connection they had between the two of them stayed for as long as possible. He saw her repeat his actions and it steadied him slightly; at least he wasn't about to do something stupid. He lifted his hand and held her chin gently, still looking deeply into her eyes. By seeing her eyelids slowly shut, he knew she wanted it too. He copied her, slowly shutting his eyes; they were an inch apart, just a few centimetres away from touching, so near and…

Shit.

They both pulled away instantly and looked in the same direction. What sounded like footsteps appeared to be nothing, but it was too late to go back to the moment they were just in. It had passed, and he'd lost his chance.

"I should be going," she said nervously, dusting off her uniform and picking up her bag. "Catch you later…"

"Yeah…" he said, unsure on whether to stop her and continue what he was about to do or just let her go. Giving her a small nod, she smiled briefly and hurried off into the woodland, cautiously looking around her as she walked.

_What just happened?_ she asked herself over and over again as she wandered back to the school. The whole thing was a blur; one minute she was talking to him and the next, she couldn't keep her gaze away from him. She touched her chin and she felt an even stronger feeling in her stomach. She _knew _what they were about to do, but she couldn't admit it to herself… it just wasn't possible. As she approached her dormitory, she wondered what Paul was thinking of right now, and whether he felt how she was feeling.

_What am I doing?_ Paul asked himself as he continued to stare at the running water. What had just happened seemed surreal to him now, but it was real… _something _was about to happen between him and Dawn Berlitz, whether he admitted it or not. She made him feel things he'd _never _felt before, and made him act differently towards her. Everything about her sent shivers down his spine; she was completely unique, and being in her presence made Paul realise that there was definitely something special about this girl. As he stood up from where he was sitting, he looked through the woodland again. _Something _had stopped that moment from happening… but what? He took his bag and walked back the way he came towards the school, hands in his pockets, unaware of the figure watching Dawn and Paul's every move.

_Let's see who's winning now, shall we Dawn?_


	10. Trust

Author's Note: I'm so mean, aren't I? They were so close, yet so far! No need to worry, FanFictioners, there's plenty more where that came from!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 10

Trust

"Ash, just stop and _listen _to me," Dawn said, her voice full of desperation. "I don't know what to do anymore! I can't stand having this awkward feeling every time we come across each other! You're one of my best friends, and you _always _will be, and I realise what a bitch I was, but I can't do anything else other than say I'm sorry…"

Ash sighed and nodded for her to continue, his arms crossed. She looked at him meaningfully and ran her hand through her hair, exhausted of the amount of words she managed to fit into one sentence.

"I really am sorry, Ash. I truly am. I know I can't change the past, and how I treated you that day, but, I can change the future… I just want you to forgive me, so we can start over, forget about the asshole that spoke to you the other day. Please."

He sighed once again and smiled, holding up his hand in the air. Her frown grew into a large grin, and she reached her hand into the air too, high fiving him.

"You're forgiven," he said, Pikachu hopping onto his shoulder. "Only because I felt a bit guilty _and _because I know that you've realised what an idiot you were."

"Thank you," she said, relieved that she'd finally sorted things out with Ash. Then, laughing slightly, she thought it would be good to tell him what, or who, made her realise she was wrong.

"What's so funny?" he questioned her.

"You won't believe me if I tell you," she said. "But, do you want to know who actually made me realise what I needed to do?"

"Go on then," he said curiously. She paused for a moment and pondered over what his reaction would be; confusion, shock, disbelief and hilarity.

"Paul," she said simply, a large smile on her face. Ash looked at her dumbly and raised an eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously. He then burst into laughter, holding his stomach.

"Yeah right! Paul's the biggest asshole I know!" he said, still laughing from the outcome. He then calmed down and let out a deep breath, balancing himself before continuing. "That was a good one, Dawn, but seriously now. Who?"

Her expression was far from amused. He noticed this and scratched his head slightly, the look of confusion that first engulfed him returning.

"I'm being serious, Ash," she said, crossing her arms. "I knew you wouldn't believe me!"

"But, Dawn, you hated Paul. We all did."

"Yes, except, I don't hate him anymore… people change, Ash. He's different now. I mean, not to look at or anything, still looks as cold as ever, but… he's alright. You should talk to him."

"Paul can't have changed though," Ash said, refusing to believe Dawn's words. "No one could get more sinister than him, he was always so miserable and-"

"Trust me," she cut him off. "Just talk to him and you'll see what I mean. He's still Paul, you know, there's parts about him that are still the same, but… let's just say he's _a lot _easier to talk to, now."

"Okay, I believe you," he said. "Just be careful though, Dawn. And I'll…" he paused and swallowed, trying to find the strength to say what he was about to say, "Try and talk to Paul."

"Good," she beamed. "This could be the start of a new friendship for you two," she grinned, walking away.

"Yeah, don't get your hopes up _too _much. And, since when did you even _want _to talk to Paul, anyway?"

"I don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It just… happened."

Walking away, Dawn smiled to herself. All of a sudden, she felt as if her world had made a sudden turn once again. Life was going good at the moment, and surprisingly… she seemed to be… _enjoying _it at Pokémon Tech. As she collected her books from her locker, she heard a sly, familiar voice say her name.

"Dawn? I haven't seen you around here in a while," she said falsely, fluttering her eyes innocently.

"Yeah. I've been pretty busy… what do you want, Giselle?" she asked, slamming her locker shut, already aware of who the voice belonged to.

"Oh, nothing… just thought I'd let you know that I ran into Paul, earlier."

Dawn eyed her cautiously, watching her every move. Giselle gave her a smug look, and then continued to talk.

"He was talking to some guy. I think his name was Drew, but anyway, he was saying how he's glad you haven't realised yet."

"Realised what, Giselle?" Dawn asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Doesn't really matter," she said, the fake tone in her voice getting to Dawn more and more as she spoke. "It's better to keep you guessing, anyway."

"You expect me to believe anything you say, Giselle?" Dawn questioned her, moving a step closer to her. "I know what you're doing. It's your little plan of, 'Oh, let's make Dawn's life hell at Pokémon Tech', because that's the pathetic, worthless person you are."

"I'm glad you think so," Giselle replied, the smug look still plastered on her face.

"Also, I suggest that you stop trying to stir things up between me and Paul. I don't believe anything you say, so just give it up, Giselle."

"Fine," Giselle said, giving Dawn and sly and devious look. "You might not believe me, but… I've planted the idea in your head, so even if you choose _not _to believe me, you'll still be questioning yourself about it. Catch you later," she said with a wink, pushing past her and strutting off down the corridor.

"Bitch," Dawn said to herself, walking away as quickly as possible. She knew _exactly _what Giselle was doing; playing mind games to try and ruin her reputation. Paul wasn't the sort of person to do something like that, even if he _was _a bit of an asshole at times. As she turned the corner, ironically, she walked straight into Paul, causing her to drop all of her belongings.

"Shit, sorry," she said, kneeling down on the floor and picking up the pieces of scattered paper.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, joining her on tidying things up.

"Giselle, _that's_ what's wrong with me," she said, carelessly picking up her books and shoving them into her bag.

"You're letting someone like her bother you?"

"You know her?" Dawn questioned, raising herself off the floor.

"Of course I know her. I've seen her around and I saw your little battle with her a few weeks ago."

"Paul… she's seen me and you talking. She's trying to stir things around by making up these stupid stories about how you were talking to Drew and that I haven't realised it yet."

"Realised what?"

"I don't know. That's the whole point I'm trying to get at, she's just stirring things up and it drives me insane!"

"Well, show her you can play that game too."

She quirked an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously, a small smirk on her lips.

"Make it look like it's not bothering you. Act as normal, act like you couldn't be happier. Then, you're playing the game too, because you'll be pissing her off. She wants to see you get frustrated, Dawn. It'll please her if she sees you looking angry."

"You're right," she said, grinning. "If she wants to play games, then I'm up for it."

He smirked at her and began to talk again.

"Truth is, I _was_ talking to Drew earlier," he said, leaning against the locker.

"You were?" she asked, instantly looking up at him. She then showed a hint of confusion and looked at the floor. "Well… what were you talking about?"

"You."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, blushed, and then turned her head to the floor once again, hiding her face. No way was she willing to let Paul notice she was blushing; it would just make her look stupid.

"Yeah, he's in one of my classes and we just started talking. I was just letting him know how I've met this girl who used to be an irritant," he said, smirking at the expression on her face, "But, I might of said how she's one of the most genuine girls I've ever met and I'm not embarrassed to say that I like being around her."

"You… really said that?" she asked. Her whole face lightened up, and her eyes were gleaming with happiness.

"Yeah. And I meant it, Dawn."

This time, she couldn't hide the blush that was forming on her cheeks. And in all honesty, she didn't care. All she cared about was her growing relationship with Paul, and how she _knew _she meant something to him, which was all that mattered. She didn't care about Giselle's sly and conniving ways. All she wanted was for things to stay exactly how they were.

"I like being around you, too," she added nervously, waiting anxiously for his response. He smiled and noticed he was caught up in her eyes again. No, he wasn't going to let _that _happen again… at least, not now. He needed to wait for the right moment again, and being in the middle of a corridor didn't seem to be like the better option. Looking down at the books he was holding, he handed them to her and put his hands back in his pockets.

"Talk to you later. Don't let Giselle get to you."

"I won't," she said, her smile faltering. She was somewhat disappointed that she couldn't have spoken to him for longer just then, willing for something to happen, but… no, it couldn't. And it wasn't going to… right?

Right?


	11. Confusion

Author's Note: Hello, people. Long time, no see, huh?

So, I know I said that I wouldn't be updating for a while because of exams, but, I've actually got a lot of spare time at the moment, so… why not update now?

For those who like ContestShipping? This one's for you.

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 11

Confusion

"I'll catch you soon, I just need to talk to Drew," May said as she and Dawn made their way out of Coordinating. "I haven't really spoken to him properly, so…"

"No need to worry," Dawn said, giving May a small wink. "Good luck."

With that, May casually walked over towards Drew, patting down her hair and making sure she looked full of confidence. She always felt like she had to impress Drew, as he was a lot of things she wasn't; cool, laidback, honest… but more so, she always felt herself go even clumsier when she was around Drew, for no apparent reason whatsoever. She guessed it was because of nerves, but secretly, she knew it was because of something else.

"Hey Drew," she greeted, showing him a pretty smile. He returned the smile and stopped walking, flicking his hair.

"Hey," he said casually, leaning against the wall. He noticed she bit her lip; he guessed it was because she was unsure on what to talk about, so he decided to help her out a little. "That was a great battle against Ursula, you know. Your combination with Beautifly really worked."

Her eyes started gleaming and a large grin spread across her face.

"Really? Thanks Drew!"

"Of course, it wasn't as good as my combination with Roserade," he said cockily.

_I knew it was too good to be true, _she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Just when she thought that he was complimenting her and appreciating her Coordinating skills, he just _had _to go and put her down again.

"Sure… anyway… how've you been, Drew? After Johto I never heard from you again…"

"I wanted to focus on travelling alone for a while," he said simply, flicking his hair once again. "Build up my skills individually. Besides, Harley was starting to get on my nerves, and so were you, actually," he teased, waiting for her reaction. Instead of getting the reaction he was used to, where she would go mad at him and start telling him what a jerk he was, he got something different.

"Thanks, Drew… glad to know you enjoyed having me with you," she said in a hurt tone, looking at the floor as she turned around.

His smirk instantly faded and he hit himself on the inside for saying it in the first place. Grabbing her hand, he turned her back around.

"May, I was only kidding," he said, eyes still on her. He sighed and then smiled as she looked at him again. "If anything… I missed having you with me."

Her eyes lightened up and a small blush could be seen on her cheeks. She smiled sheepishly and looked at the floor again, tapping her fingers together nervously.

"I missed you too."

Her sentence made his stomach flip, but in a good way. And, surprisingly for him, he felt his face heating up, which was something May never did to him… well, hardly ever, anyway. Remembering he had a reputation to live up to, he flicked his hair once again and casually handed May a rose.

"Here. For you," he said.

She looked up and smiled, taking the rose, twirling it in her fingers. Then, eyeing him mischievously, she took a step towards him and hugged him gently. He paused and his eyes widened, and once again, he felt his face heating up. As she let go, he looked at her with a surprised expression on his face, as well as a confused expression. She gave him one last smile and walked away, leaving him to stand there and go over his thoughts.

_That was different, _he thought to himself, his eyes still on May as she walked away down the corridor. Smirking, he put his hands in his pockets and walked away himself with a mixture of feelings flowing throughout his body. May had definitely matured, not just physically, but mentally as well… maybe it was time for him to make a change, too?

. . .

"Wow," May said as she walked through the door and flopped herself onto her bed. She held the rose Drew gave her above her head and twirled it around with her fingers again, a brief smile on her lips.

"What happened this time?" Dawn asked, joining her on the bed. Misty looked at her confusingly, but Dawn soon motioned for her to sit down.

"I'm completely confused," May said, now frowning. "When we were younger, I always felt something differently towards Drew," she admitted, sitting herself up. "But, I was too young to fully understand what it was. And, now, seeing him again here when I'm older, those feelings are starting to come back to me-"

"And you're starting to understand what they mean?" asked Dawn, finishing her sentence.

"Exactly," she said, letting out a small sigh. "The thing is, Drew's so laidback, I can never tell what he really thinks when he's around me."

"First thing's first, who's Drew?" Misty asked, lost. May grinned at her and handed her the rose.

"Drew is someone who I travelled with after Ash. He was my rival in Coordinating, and… after years of not seeing him, I've finally met up with him again here."

"The two had something that was more than friendship, but less than a relationship, which explains the roses," Dawn added. "And, I think that answers your question, May."

"But, it doesn't," May said, standing up and looking out of the window. "He's so cocky and sarcastic, sometimes I don't know if I mean _anything _to him. It's like… he'll have moments where he's really easy to talk to, and he's helpful and respectful… and then he'll suddenly go back to being all conceited and do something stupid, like tease me or say something harsh."

Dawn looked at Misty and rolled her eyes, causing Misty to narrow her eyes and carry on the conversation.

"Well, that's probably his way of showing that he's interested in you," she said, smiling. "Trust me… boys have all sorts of ways to show their affection. Some get straight to the point, and some are…" she paused and sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Well, some are simply clueless, but in Drew's situation, I think that teasing you is his way of showing you that he likes you. He wants to get your attention, and that's how he does it."

May furrowed her eyebrows and then smiled slightly, turning back around to face Dawn and Misty.

"I've never thought of it like that," she said, joining them on the bed once again. "I guess I'll just have to see what happens between us… maybe now we're older, he might understand it more."

"That's all you can do," Dawn said, her eyes full of confidence. "Talk to him, get your relationship back to how it used to be and then see where it goes from there."

With a small nod, May got up and checked herself over in the mirror. Checking the time, her eyes widened and she checked herself again to make sure her uniform was perfect.

"Girls, I completely forgot that we have an assembly!" she said, giving her hair a quick brush.

"You're kidding? I can't be _bothered_ to have an assembly," Dawn moaned, dragging herself across the room.

"Neither can I, but their announcing Head Girl and Head Boy," Misty said, running her fingers through her long, beach like hair.

"Oh, because that makes it _so _much better," Dawn said sarcastically. Misty rolled her eyes and followed her out of the door, shutting it gently behind her.

. . .

As they walked into the hall, Dawn, May and Misty took their seats. Examining the room, Dawn spotted Paul a few rows in front of her next to Barry and another trainer who she hadn't seen before. He looked at her briefly and smirked, causing her to blush.

"You might want to look over to your right," Misty whispered, making Dawn jump. Instantly, she looked over towards where Misty was looking and caught Giselle throw her a dirty look. Shaking her head in disbelief, she sat back and folded her arms.

"Pathetic," she muttered.

"I'll bet you anything she gets Head Girl," May added, aware of who they were talking about.

"It wouldn't surprise me. I mean, she is 'top student at Pokémon Tech'," Dawn mocked.

"Well, we're about to find out," said Misty, watching Professor Oak walk onto the stage.

"I'm happy to join you here today and announce who will be your loyal year group leaders. Let's hope you've all voted well, shall we?"

"So, why's he here?" May asked, dumbly.

"May, you're so ditsy at times," Misty laughed. "He's an ambassador of the school. Although he's not here all the time, he comes here for special occasions. He's the one that decided on expanding this school instead of building separate schools in different areas, as it would be easier, apparently."

"Sorry, know it all," she said, raising her eyebrows. "How do you know that, anyway?"

"I was talking to Gary about it," Misty said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Will you two shut up? He's about to announce the names," Dawn said, frowning at the two girls who were whispering in between her.

"Sorry," they both muttered in unison, slouching down into their seats.

"So, without further ado, let's get on with it and find out who's who!" the Professor said as he was handed an envelope. After a small pause, he looked up at the students again.

"Brace yourselves," Misty joked.

"And, your Head Girl is…"

"Giselle!" Dawn said sarcastically in a high pitched voice, causing a few people to laugh and turn around to look at her. She looked over at Paul once again and grinned mischievously as he winked at her. Then, looking over at Giselle, she smirked as she saw her narrow her eyes and scowl in annoyance; Dawn could play the game just as well as she did.

"Giselle!" the Professor said, grabbing everyone's attention again, smiling widely at her as she walked up onto the stage.

"No surprise there then," Dawn muttered, rolling her eyes. May and Misty agreed and eagerly awaited the announcement of Head Boy as the applause died down.

"And, your Head Boy is… well, what a coincidence! It's none other than my grandson, Gary Oak!"

"Fix!" Ash shouted out jokingly, receiving a quick gesture from Gary, followed by a large grin. A group of boys, which were obviously Gary's mates, starting hooting and cheering, and Dawn couldn't help but laugh at their typical masculine attitude. As he walked up onto the stage to join Giselle, the two received their Head Girl and Head Boy badges and another applause filled the room.

"Gary Oak's Professor Oak's grandson?" May asked in shock as she looked at Gary in confusion.

"I can't believe you didn't know that, May," Dawn laughed. "Who would've thought that he'd get Head Boy, though?"

"It's believable," Misty said. "Although he comes across as cocky and a bit of an asshole, he's actually extremely reliable and intelligent when it comes to Pokémon. During my time as a Gym Leader, he visited a few times to study the Pokémon we have there, and I was left speechless at how much he knew about them."

"I can't imagine Gary being smart… it just doesn't fit somehow," May said, trying to picture Gary as a Professor in her head.

"He's a completely different person when it comes to work," Misty added. "He's very professional in what he does."

"True," Dawn agreed.

"Well, at least that's over!" May said, stretching herself out. "I was starting to get a bit bored of seeing Giselle stand on that stage thinking she's the most important person in this room."

"Tell me about it," Dawn said, shaking her head in disbelief at Giselle's stuck up attitude. As the students slowly left the hall, she, May and Misty all made their way back to their dormitory, exhausted from what felt like an hour long assembly.


	12. Crazy

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! Probably the last chapter for now as it's back to exams on Monday, so enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 12

Crazy

As she entered the laboratory, Misty stared in awe at all of the thousands of books and posters that were placed around the room. Posters and diagrams were stuck to every possible space on the walls, explaining the existence of Pokémon or a Legendary. Books were stacked neatly on the shelves that surrounded the tables and chairs, almost like a separate library, each book about every single Pokémon known to man, all in alphabetical order. Unaware of the presence behind her, she carried on looking through the shelves of continuous books, tilting her head slightly so that she could read their title.

Walking into the class awkwardly, Ash took a quick glance around the room before laying his eyes on the girl that stood in front of him. Scratching his head, he slowly walked over towards her and then shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting to get her attention. Realising he was getting nowhere fast, he decided to make the effort to speak.

"Hey, uh, are you in this class too?" he asked awkwardly, putting on a goofy grin. Turning around, he came face to face with a pair of large and beautiful pair of sea green eyes, as well as somebody who he was extremely familiar with. Speechless, his mouth opened slightly in surprise. She smiled brightly at him and blushed slightly, waiting for a response.

"M-Misty?" he stuttered, grinning uncontrollably. "How could I not even recognise you?" he asked himself, slapping his hand towards his forehead.

"A lot's changed since we used to travel together, Ash," she said simply. "How are you?"

"Yeah, great actually," he said, leaning against one of the tables. "Even better now you're here, Misty!"

She blushed and smiled shyly, running her fingers through her hair.

"Ash, I know it's pretty random, and it's been a while since we've spoke, but…" she paused, stopping to look at him. Nothing had changed about Ash whatsoever. He still had the same, goofy grin he always had, the messy, black hair and, of course, a hat was placed on his head. The care free and confident nature that was a part of him still lingered, which made her smile and leaps of excitement filled her stomach. He'd grown a lot taller as he now stood at least one head above Misty, and he'd developed a more masculin posterior. But, the most important thing that was still present within him was that he still had the ability to make her feel the way she did; she was completely and utterly _crazy _about him.

"What's wrong, Misty?" he asked, looking at her in concern. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them gently, giving her goose bumps.

"I just want you to know that… you're still my best friend, Ash. Even if we haven't seen each other in ages, and you've been out travelling around the regions and I've been working at the gym and-"

"Misty," he said, cutting her off. He looked her in the eyes and smiled brightly before embracing her into a warm hug. "You will _always _be my best friend. That'll never change, no matter where we are in the world or what we're doing," he said, pulling out of the hug and placing his hands on her shoulders once again. "You taught me things that no one else has ever done, you were there for me when I needed you most, you're the one that has _never _left my mind since the day we stopped travelling together."

"Really?" she choked, her eyes watering up. _Since when did he become so deep? _She thought.

"Really," he said, repeating her words. Letting go of his hold on her, she wiped her cheeks and shook her head slightly. Then, looking at him confidently, she noticed a small, yellow figure standing in the corner of the doorway.

"Pikachupi?" it asked, staring at Misty in curiosity. She grinned and opened her arms, motioning for Pikachu to come to her. Smiling brightly, Pikachu leaped into her arms and snuggled into her chest, overjoyed that he had been united with Misty after years of not seeing her.

"Happy to see me, are you Pikachu?" Misty asked, grinning widely at him as he nodded at her briefly before snuggling back into her again.

"Yeah, I'm not the only one that's missed you!"

Looking back at Ash, Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and smiled at Misty once again. Petting him on the head, she looked up at the clock in the room and glanced around the laboratory once again.

"Class will start soon," she said, looking back at Ash.

"Yeah," he nodded, examining the many tables and chairs that were allocated around the room. "It'd be so awesome if we sat together, don't you think?"

"Totally," she agreed.

"So, it looks like Ashy-boy has finally grown the balls to talk to Misty here," a cocky voice said from behind them. Rolling his eyes, Ash walked over towards him and punched him jokingly on the shoulder, grinning. Eyeing him curiously, Misty smirked and crossed her arms.

"Oh please, Gary, you're not telling me that you still call him Ashy-boy, are you?" she asked sarcastically, raising her eyebrows.

"Sorry, is _douchebag_ better for you?" he replied, snickering at Ash's expression. She frowned at him and rolled her eyes, giving him a displeased look. "Come on Misty, I'm just kidding. Ash and I are cool now, ain't that right?"

"Yeah, we're okay now, apart from the nicknames," Ash said, widening his eyes at Misty.

"You love it Ashy-boy," he said, nudging him on the arm. "Just think about it. If I weren't here calling you names every day, you'd soon miss it."

Misty examined the boys closely. It was strange how so much could change between two people that were once rivals; Ash, the kind, skilful yet clueless Trainer, and Gary, the cocky, smart and teasing Researcher, were now more like brothers than rivals.

"So, Misty, you still familiar with those feelings that you couldn't help but show all those years ago?" Gary asked suddenly, smirking dirtily at her. She shot her head around to him and found herself go red in the face; due to anger or embarrassment? She didn't know. All she knew was that she found her mouth go dry and she couldn't keep her eyes off of Gary.

"What feelings?" Ash asked dumbly, throwing a confused look at her. She looked at the floor and bit her lip, tapping her foot nervously on the floor. Sighing heavily, Gary patted him on the back and then looked at Misty again.

"You'll find out soon enough, Ashy-boy," he said, watching Misty breathe out heavily and close her eyes. She only just realised that she was holding her breath throughout that whole moment, and hoped that no one noticed. Looking up again, she smiled briefly at Gary and then put on a large smile.

"It's nothing important, Ash," she assured him. "Besides… just like Gary said," she looked at him again and smiled shyly, "You'll find out soon enough."

. . .

Walking across the school ground while taking in the fresh air, Dawn approached the gymnasium. Quietly, she leant against the entrance door and smiled as she watched Paul train with his Pokémon. Everything about him left her completely mesmerised; his strategy, his attitude, his personality… not a day went by where she didn't think about him. Biting her lip, she stepped through the door and purposely slammed it shut, catching his attention. As he turned around, he smirked at her and returned his Electivire.

"What do you want, troublesome?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently, biting her lip once again. "Just wanted to come and see you, that's all."

"I see," he said as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Heard from Giselle today?"

"Surprisingly, no," she said, stepping closer to him. "But, me and Ash are good now."

"Told you he'd come around," Paul said, looking smug. "I never thought I'd say this, but I can actually talk to him without wanting to punch him in the face anymore."

This made Dawn laugh. She figured that Ash had listened to her advice and decided to make an effort to talk to Paul.

"Well, that's _definitely _an improvement," she smiled, looking into his eyes. The two stood there for a moment, taking in each other's presence, before Paul decided to take a broad move.

He gently held her chin and continued to look into her eyes. She licked her lips nervously and smiled faintly before slowly shutting her eyes.

Enough was enough.

He crashed his lips down onto hers and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. He felt her arms snake around his neck.

He'd finally kissed Dawn Berlitz.

She was his.

And nothing was going to change that.


	13. Here

Author's Note: Man, I loved the last chapter. Dawn and Paul are _finally _together, and everything is fine and dandy… anyway, here's the next chapter guys!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 13

Here

The whole thing was a blur. A complete and utter blur. She still couldn't get her head around it; she was dating Paul. Everything seemed so surreal, as it happened so quickly and simply, yet it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of her life. Paul was her first ever boyfriend; heck, he was her first ever _kiss_. One minute she was confused about her feelings around Paul, and then suddenly, they all came crashing down and hit her, hard. Not long after their moment, she and him headed back to the main building, hand in hand, not caring if anyone saw them. Nervously facing him, she put her right hand on her left shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, smiling gently. She noticed he was still holding her hand, which made her stomach churn with excitement. As she turned towards the door, she felt his grip on her hand get tighter.

"Wait," he said, turning her back around to face him. He looked at her seriously and then smiled, stroking his thumb on top of her hand. Then, just like he did before, he kissed her, but this time, slowly and tenderly. Her eyes fluttered closed and she felt herself go weak; never in her life had she ever felt something like this before. Pulling away gently, he smiled once again and let go of her hand.

"Night," she said, looking back at him one last time before disappearing down the corridor. As she became out of sight, she felt herself go hot and a large grin could be seen spread across her face. Breathing in heavily, she bit her lip excitedly as she approached her dormitory, nervous yet buzzing to tell May and Misty.

"So I was like, seriously, Harley? You _honestly_ think I'm going to fall for that again? And then luckily Solidad interrupted his scheming little plan, and then Drew was just giving him a distant glare which made me feel somewhat relieved as I knew Drew was on my side, and then after that he suddenly changed so I think he started to realise that cheating and making other people look like idiots wasn't going to get him anywhere and-"

"Whoa, too many words in one sentence, May," Misty said, placing her hand over May's mouth. She'd just been telling Misty all about her travels with Drew, Solidad and Harley, but unfortunately for her, May was going into every single detail possible. The door opened and both girls turned around to find Dawn walk through the door looking dazed and star struck. Misty sighed in relief that she was finally saved from May's constant chatter, and May grinned happily.

"Hey, Dawn! Where have you been? It's _way _past curfew," said May, eyeing her curiously. Dawn only smiled at her and crashed onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. May and Misty looked at each other in confusion and then eyed Dawn suspiciously.

"Gee, Dawn sure is acting strange, don't you think, Misty?" she said in a fake tone, quirking an eyebrow. Dawn sat up and looked at her, a disbelieving sort of frown on her face. Then, nudging May on the shoulder, she faced her two eager best friends.

"So, tell us, then," Misty said, joining them on Dawn's bed. "Where were you? And why are you acting like you're not even with us here, in this world? You look so dazed," she added.

"Firstly, I _am _with you in this world, I'm just… trying to get my head around something, that's all," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "Secondly, I was with someone who… I guess you could say means a lot to me right now."

"I'm still not getting it," May said, a dumb look plastered across her face. Smiling, Dawn continued.

"He was an old rival of Ash's," she said. Misty's eyes then widened and she looked at her in shock, shaking her head.

"Please, Dawn, don't tell me you've secretly been seeing Gary," she said, cringing slightly. May copied Misty's expression and waited for a response from Dawn.

"Seriously, girls? You think I'd go for someone like Gary?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "No, it's not Gary who I've been seeing. It's Ash's rival from Sinnoh, Paul. I don't know if you know who he is…"

"I know Paul!" May exclaimed, sitting up instantly. "The blank looking guy who gives you death glares if you smile at him?" she asked, shivering slightly at the thought. Laughing at her words, she frowned at May and crossed her legs.

"If you want to put it that way, yes," she said, feeling the excitement return to her stomach; even _talking _about Paul made her heart beat rapidly. "Except, he's not like that to me at all. Actually, if you get to know him, he's really easy to talk to."

"So, since when have you been talking to Paul, anyway?" Misty asked.

"Since the first week I got here," she admitted. "But, at first I wasn't sure, you know? Then, as time went on, we kept talking, and we got closer…"

"And then what happened?" May asked eagerly, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"And then," Dawn said, grinning. "He kissed me."

"And then what?" May asked, gripping the bed sheets. "Come on, this is _major_ gossip!"

"Well, then I came back here and, here I am now, telling you," she laughed. "But, I guess that means we're dating now?"

"Obviously," Misty said, getting up off the bed and walking towards her own. "You're so lucky, Dawn. Everything's gone so well for you… me? I've been waiting for the past six years on something that's _never_ going to happen," she said, annoyingly sitting down.

"Care to explain?" she asked.

Sighing, Misty looked at the floor in disappointment. She'd never told anyone before; heck, she couldn't even tell it to _herself_, let alone him. Of course, people had guessed over the years, such as Brock and her sisters, but she never admitted it, although she knew it was probably undeniable. She was just grateful that he was always so clueless that he never noticed it, too.

"I'll give you a clue," she said, holding her pillow. "We've all travelled with him."

"Brock?" May asked confusingly, unable to imagine Misty being attracted towards someone like Brock.

"What do _you_ think?" Misty asked her sarcastically.

May paused and looked at the floor for a moment before looking back up at her again.

"I don't know?"

Both Misty and Dawn rolled their eyes and laughed slightly at May's sweet yet clueless attitude. Then, smiling at her helplessly, Dawn carried on the conversation.

"Ash," she said simply. Misty nodded and found herself going red in the cheeks before burying her face in her pillow.

"Ever since the day I met him I've liked him, Dawn," she said, sighing. "You don't realise how frustrating it is to like someone that much, travel with them throughout Kanto, Johto _and_ the Orange Islands, absolutely crazy about them for them to be completely oblivious to your feelings!" she said, shaking her head. "No matter how much I want to, I could never tell him…"

"Why not?" asked May, looking helplessly at her.

"I just can't," she said. "He's my best friend, May. We've been through so much together, and he's taught me so much throughout the time I've known him… I'm scared of losing what I have with him, and by telling him, it could all be gone, just like that."

"Misty, we're talking about Ash, here," Dawn said, placing her hand on Misty's shoulder. "He's always there for you, and I doubt that he'd ever let anything get between you and him. Out of all of us, it's obvious that you mean the most to him. I mean, if it makes you feel any better, he used to talk about you a lot while I travelled with him in Sinnoh."

At this, Misty perked up and smiled slightly.

"He did?"

"Of course he did," she said, smiling brightly. "I won't go into much detail, because there's too much to say, but from what he told me, I can tell that you mean a lot to him, Misty. But, you want to know what made it completely obvious to me that you're someone special to him?"

"Go on then," Misty said, a large grin present on her face.

"Your special lure," she said, winking at her. "We were fishing one time, and he used your lure. I'd never seen a lure like it before, and then he explained it was from you. But, when I asked if _I_ could use it, he became all protective over it and went so far as pushing me away, _just _so that I couldn't use it. So, because that was _your _lure that _you_ gave to him, he didn't want anyone else using it, not even Brock, which goes to show you mean a hell of a lot to him, Misty."

"That's so sweet!" May chimed, grinning. "I have to admit it, at the time I didn't really think much about it, but when you came to meet up with Ash in Hoenn, almost instantly he seemed like a completely different person."

"What do you mean?"

"He was just so happy that he was seeing you again, Misty," she said, smiling at her flushed face. "All of a sudden he wouldn't stop talking about you, and he kept telling me and Max about how incredible you are and how you're the Cerulean City Gym Leader and how much he misses travelling with you, and _so _much more but, you get the gist of it!"

"Okay, you're right, I get the gist of it," Misty said, poking May on the shoulder. "I just can't seem to get over him. After six years of not seeing him, I thought that maybe I'd _finally_ be able to move on, but then suddenly we get wound up here, I see him again and those feelings bounce back within a second."

"Well, if you don't want to talk to him about it, we could help you out?" Dawn asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No, no it's okay," Misty said hesitantly. "If he's going to find out from someone, it's best to be me… but, when that happens, I just don't know."

"Whatever you say, Misty," Dawn said, taking her nightwear out of the wardrobe. "But, just so you know, I'm always here if you need to talk. Me _and _May."

"Dawn's right," May added, heading towards the bathroom. "We're always here, no matter what."

"Thank you, girls," Misty said, laying her head down. "Same goes to you."

"We're best friends, right?" Dawn asked, smiling confidently. "It's what we're here for."


	14. For the Better

Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you're all well!

Sorry for the later update. I've been busy with work, baby sitting and most importantly, prom! Yes, my prom is in a few weeks' time, and I'm _mega _excited. I've got everything sorted, so now all I need is for the day to come!

So, here's the next chapter! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope that you enjoy reading it!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 14

For the Better

Life at Pokémon Tech wasn't so bad, Dawn could say. As the weeks went by, she discovered more about the school, the people in the school but most importantly, small things that happened every day made huge changes that even Dawn could see herself.

She and Paul were steadily moving along, growing closer and stronger in their relationship day by day. On weekends, the two would take a casual stroll through the woodland that surrounded the school, or simply join the others around them, which now consisted of Ash, Misty, May and Drew. Surprisingly, Ash and Paul had managed to settle their differences, and created a civil friendship. Drew, who Ash had known before prior to his travels with May, instantly hit it off with the two boys as if they'd been best mates for years. Of course, nothing had changed between the three girls, apart from the fact that the bond that connected them all seemed to grow bigger and more reliable with every second they spent together. While Misty and Ash spoke for hours on end about their past travels with Brock and Tracey, reminiscing on their battles, arguments and countless Team Rocket encounters, May and Drew still squabbled now and again, but seemed to show a great amount of respect towards each other, especially in helping one another with Coordinating. Paul remained cold and mysterious, but none of them wanted that to change. It was only those who were close to him that could see his true colours and emotions, though many people judged that he didn't have any at all. Small changes like these made huge changes on Dawn, which made her start to think that maybe being sent to Pokémon Tech _was _a good idea after all.

To Dawn's surprise, Giselle grew distant from her and stopped with the random and unpleasant encounters in the halls. The only mild thing that still sparked between the two was an odd glare now and again, but it didn't bother Dawn at all; she had everything she needed, and minor people in her life like Giselle didn't concern her anymore.

Spring turned into Summer, and before she knew it, half a year had already passed. Regular talks with her mom over the video phone kept Dawn going, and training her Pokémon for Coordinating seemed to pay off too; out of all the Coordinating classes, Dawn was ranked third, first being Drew and second being May.

Back to the present time, an assembly was being held with an important announcement about to be made. As Dawn made her way into the hall, she noticed that a spot had been saved for her next to Paul, along with Zoey, Kenny and another boy named Lucas, who she'd never really spoken to. Glancing towards the back of the hall, she realised why her four closer friends weren't currently with her and Paul, who had had no choice but to sit in seats away from each other. She felt something warm take her hand which caused her to turn around. Smiling gently at Paul, she settled down into her seat and started up a conversation with him.

"Any idea on what this huge announcement is going to be?" she asked him, eyeing Professor Oak, Gary and Giselle all talking briefly beside the stage.

"Most likely nothing important," he said, grunting slightly at all the commotion. "You wait, a huge build up will be made and then everyone will be disappointed."

"Stop being so miserable," she teased him, turning around and poking him lightly on the arm. He glared at her but then smiled, pulling her closer towards him. Then, as if on cue, the Professor, Gary and Giselle all stepped onto the stage, waiting for the students in the hall to stop their conversations.

"Ahem," the Professor said after a few seconds of waiting, causing everyone to turn around towards the stage and a dead silence filled the room. Smiling, he started his speech.

"Now, as you all know, I have a big announcement to make," he said, smiling broadly. "It's something new to the system, and I'm sure that you'll all be pleasantly surprised. This is the chance for everyone to work hard and achieve even more than they first expected! So, without further ado, I shall hand you over to your loyal year group leaders, Gary and Giselle."

The Professor stepped back and Gary and Giselle stepped forward, nodding towards him briefly before carrying on the announcement. As usual, Gary was full of confidence and charisma, while Giselle never failed to smirk and put her hands on her hips, flicking her hair as she eyed the students in the hall.

"To celebrate our achievements and the success of Pokémon Tech, an end of year dance, titled Knock 'Em Dead, is going to be held. It'll be a great way to consider the amount of work and dedication the students of Pokémon Tech have put in over the last few months, and will give people the chance to dress to impress," Gary said, stepping back slightly as Giselle took over.

"You are advised to wear formal clothing, so for girls, dresses, and for boys, tuxedos. Food and drink will be prepared already, any music requests can be listed on the sheet by the main entrance to the building and anyone who misbehaves or dresses inappropriately will be forced to go back to their dormitory immediately," she said in a fake manner, smiling confidently. As Gary took over once again, Dawn nudged Paul with her elbow.

"Told you not to be so miserable," she whispered, squeezing his hand. He grunted and squeezed hers in return as he thought about the announcement over and over again in his head; a dance. How original. The whole idea seemed completely pointless, but maybe that was just him. He wasn't really one for getting dressed up, and he _definitely _wasn't one for dancing. Dawn on the other hand had a large grin plastered on her perfectly happy face. He glanced at her slightly and smiled at her excitement. He knew his girlfriend loved getting dressed up, with her contests and everything, so a school dance was obviously the perfect idea in her head. And, needless to say, he knew that with whatever she wore, she'd look beautiful. Noticing that their speech had ended due to the sudden burst of chatter that broke through the silence, the Professor dismissed everyone from the assembly and started talking to the fellow teachers such as Professor Birch and Ivy.

"Okay, we're _definitely _going out this weekend to buy our outfits, girls!" May chirped as she, Misty, Drew and Ash approached Dawn and Paul. Dawn smiled brightly and became involved in an instant conversation about dresses, hair, makeup and a ton of other things Paul wasn't too interested in. Ash and Drew both looked at each other confusingly and decided to join Paul, who too looked completely and utterly lost.

"Just brilliant," Drew said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Not only do I have to buy a stupid tuxedo, but I have to find myself a date too."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Paul said, smirking slightly. "I mean, if May doesn't say yes, there's plenty of other girls who'd happily go with you."

"Who said anything about asking May?" Drew asked instantly, becoming defensive. A slight blush could be seen on his cheeks, which only made Paul smirk even more. Ash, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious and not concerned to the whole situation. Shaking off Paul's comment, Drew turned his attention towards Ash and quirked his eyebrow.

"What about you, Ash?"

"What about what?" he asked dumbly, pretending he didn't know what was coming. Noticing Drew and Paul roll their eyes at each other, he chuckled awkwardly and sweat dropped, putting his hand behind his head.

"Don't play dumb, Ash," Drew said frustratingly, flicking his hair. "Misty. You gonna ask her or not?"

"You must be ridiculous!" he denied, going red in the face. He realised the girls were only a few feet away from them, which made him go red even more.

"Still in denial as ever, Ashy-boy," Gary said, joining in on their conversation.

"In denial about what? I'm not in denial about anything, I'm just… not that great when it comes to girls, yeah?" Ash said, scowling at his fellow peers.

"So you _do _wanna ask Misty then?" Paul asked, glaring at him.

"I'm not saying anything!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Besides, it's easy for you to say! _You've_ got nothing to worry about!"

For once, Drew happened to agree with Ash. Paul smiled faintly and nodded, sporting a quick glance over at Dawn.

. . .

"Oh, Dawn Berlitz?" Nurse Joy asked timidly, stopping Dawn in the hallway. "I have a letter for you. It's from your manager in Sinnoh."

"Oh, thank you, Nurse Joy," Dawn said, taking the pink letter from her hands. "I wonder what it could be about…"

"All I know is that it's urgent," said Nurse Joy, smiling brightly at her. "Enjoy the rest of your day," and with that, she returned to the main office, leaving Dawn alone in the hallway.

As Nurse Joy left, Dawn made her way back to her dormitory, eyeing the letter in curiosity. Why on earth would her manager need her at a time like this? Countless ideas swam through her mind, but none of them seemed to click. Taking a seat on her bed, Dawn was glad to see that May and Misty weren't present, which most likely meant they were at lunch with the others. Biting her lip, Dawn opened the envelope to reveal an even lighter pink letter with a gold star at the top of it. Taking a deep breath, she read the letter in great detail.

_Dawn,_

_It's been a while, hasn't it? I feel terribly sorry for you, being stuck in such an awful place being the person you are, but I have some great news that I'm sure you'll be extremely pleased and relieved to hear about!_

_The Unova region, a region based far away from Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, is known for its modern society and unique tradition. A regular event held in Nimbasa City, a popular area in Unova, are Pokémon Musicals; fun, talented and spectacular shows that allow contestants to dress up their Pokémon and enter them in dancing competitions. Many props and outfits are available for the shows, which highlight the most flattering and best features of a Pokémon._

_Now, you're probably wondering what any of this information has to do with you. In fact, this information has a lot to do with you, Dawn. The people of Unova, or more likely, the people of Nimbasa City, have seen your latest and past designs for Pokémon, and are utterly speechless of the beauty and detail put into your hard work. Thus, your designs are absolutely perfect for the Pokémon Musicals held, which means a great offer has been made for you._

_You will be able to travel to Unova to pursue a new career; to design outfits and props for the Pokémon Musicals held in Nimbasa City. It will be triple your current salary, but most importantly, it means that you can have the chance of getting out of Pokémon Tech for good._

_I have no doubt that you will even consider turning down an offer like this, Dawn. What more could you possibly want? Your designs will be made global, you'll be earning much more than you do now, and in time, you'll become an even bigger star than you already are._

_You know my number. When you've made your decision, just make the call._

_Choose wisely, Dawn._

Dawn stared at the letter in disbelief. She didn't know _what _she was feeling right now. The offer seemed too good to be true. She'd finally be able to get out of Pokémon Tech and carry on the way she was, but instead with even better opportunities…

_But is that what I really want?_

Sighing heavily, Dawn hoisted herself up from her bed and headed for the door. Fifteen minutes remained until lunch ended, which meant she had enough time to call the one person who could help her in a situation like this; her mom. Taking a seat comfortably in the empty room, she waited anxiously for Johanna to pop up onto the screen.

"Dawn!" Johanna said in surprise, beaming at her daughter. "How are you, sweetie? Is everything okay?" she asked, instantly noticing her daughter's odd behaviour.

"No, not really, mom," Dawn said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I've got a letter from my manager… it's about a job offer. But, it's not just _any_ job offer… it's pretty much a once in a lifetime opportunity. To travel to the Unova region and design outfits for Pokémon out there for an event that's native to Unova, called Pokémon Musicals."

Johanna took in the information and sighed before continuing.

"I see. Tell me more about this offer, honey."

Dawn nodded and skim read the letter quickly, picking out the bits of important information.

"Well, it's triple my current salary," she said, watching Johanna's eyes widen at hearing this. "And it means that my outfits will be made more global, which then means that… well, I guess it benefits me at the end of it."

"Hmm," Johanna said, showing a confused look. She eyed her daughter and could notice the confusion she was feeling; it wasn't every day that Dawn was unsure on what to do.

"Is that what you really want, Dawn?"

Dawn looked up at the screen and paused; she had _no _idea. If the offer came up any earlier, she would've easily accepted it as it would get her out of Pokémon Tech, and she was willing to do _anything _to leave, yet now, something was holding her back. Over time, she'd grew to like Pokémon Tech, and now, she didn't know if she wanted to leave.

"I don't know, mom," she said exasperatedly, running her hand through her hair. "I know it sounds crazy, but… for some reason, I'm not so desperate to get out of this place anymore," she said, smiling subtly. "Over these past few months, I've learnt _so _much, and I've grown _extremely _close to a lot of people. I mean, you know about me and Paul… I've never had what I have with him with _anyone _else before, and every day I feel like we grow closer… you know? He's made me realise what I turned into, mom," she said, holding back the tears in her eyes. "I was too wound up in fame to notice it before, but then Paul came along, and he brought me back into the real world. He made me realise how much I'd changed due to fame, and now… I don't feel like that person anymore. I feel better. I feel like how I used to be, when I was out travelling with Ash and Brock, carefree and… me."

Johanna fought hard to hold back the tears that were desperate to fall. Listening to Dawn made her so proud. She'd finally got her true daughter back; her strong, kind, committed and independent daughter.

"I'm so proud of you, Dawn," she choked, wiping away the tears that were now present on her face. "You've finally realised who you truly are. And that person is a strong, independent and beautiful, young woman. You're more like the person you used to be Dawn, except now, you're even better. You've changed for the better, and you should be proud of yourself, honey, just like I am."

That was it; she could no longer hold back her tears. Dawn had now joined her mom in crying and smiled brightly. Happiness filled her body, and realisation hit her, hard. Her mom was right; she'd changed for the better.

"Thanks, mom," she said, noticing that Piplup had followed her into the room and was now looking up at her confidently. Holding him in her arms, she looked at her mom with dignity and smiled to herself; she knew what she was going to do.

"I'm not going to take the offer," she said, smiling brightly. "I don't need it. I'm perfectly happy with what I have."

"I'm glad, Dawn," Johanna said reassuringly.

"As for the others… I think I'll keep this quiet for a while. I'll tell them about it in my own time, but for now, I just want to enjoy myself. I'll let my manager know what my decision is sometime this week."

"Okay, sweetie," said Johanna, standing up from the seat. "I'd better be going. There's a lot of stuff around the house that needs to be done!" she chirped.

"Okay, mom," said Dawn.

"No need to worry?" Johanna asked, eyeing her daughter.

Grinning, Dawn nodded confidently.

"No need to worry."

But little did she know, things were about to change… for the better? Maybe not.


	15. Betrayal

Author's Note: Hey everyone!

I know, I know. It's been _ages_. And I'm sorry! But honestly, I've been _so _busy recently. So much has been going on with work, so I just haven't had the time to update, and yeah, I admit it… I _have _had a bit of writer's block. But, never mind, I'm here now, and I've updated!

So, here's the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_. I hope you enjoy it! Things are changing slightly, so read on to find out…

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 15

Betrayal

That night, countless thoughts were running through Dawn's mind; how on earth was she going to tell her manager that she wasn't going to accept the offer? Her manager definitely wasn't the type to just accept someone's decision, and she certainly wasn't the type that took things easily in life. But that wasn't the main thing that was bothering her; what _really _worried Dawn was the thought of possibly losing her job if she didn't accept. Just like that, everything could be lost, and everything she'd ever worked for would be no longer. As the hours flew by, all she could do was put her earphones in and try and block out her thoughts, but nothing seemed to work.

She then came onto the topic of telling Paul and the others about the offer. For some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to it. She was completely nervous about their reaction, and what they'd think and say. As she began to move her thoughts onto something different, such as combinations, she finally found herself drifting off into a gentle and well needed sleep.

. . .

The next morning, Dawn quietly slipped her clothes on, tied her hair up into a messy bun and crept out of the dormitory, being extra careful not to wake May and Misty. She smiled as she eyed their sleeping figures; Misty was sleeping just like a normal person would, breathing in and out gently, while May on the other hand had managed to completely turn herself around so she was at the far end of the bed with her feet hanging out either side.

Closing the door behind her, Dawn knew she had at least an hour before she was due back for class. Making her way into the woodland situated next to the school, she breathed in the fresh air and sat herself down beside a small tree in the same place as where she and Paul had had their first… moment. She figured that getting up early in the morning and spending time in the crisp air would clear her mind, and surprisingly, it seemed to work. For at least half an hour, her mind was completely free, and at one point, she even found herself drifting off, before that dreaded thought returned to her mind; telling her manager. Taking out her Pokégear, she swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat. She'd never felt this nervous in a _long _time, not since her first ever Contest back when she was just a kid. Letting out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding, she started dialling the number before deciding not to. Now wasn't the time. Shaking her head, she pushed herself up from the ground and headed back to the school, the gut feeling still in the pit of her stomach.

Entering her dormitory once again, she freshened up and noticed that her two sleeping roomies were no longer present.

_May's probably dragged Misty to breakfast already, _she thought to herself, giggling slightly at the thought of Misty being forced to go to breakfast at a ridiculous time in the morning. Grabbing her bag, she made her way down to the cafeteria and spotted a mass of auburn, flowing locks in the distance.

"Hey! Sorry, I went out for a run this morning, just to clear my mind a little… you-"

"Save it, Dawn," May said in a displeased manner, throwing her a dirty look. "We know what you're up to, so just don't even bother."

Confusion engulfed her like a wave.

"Sorry? I don't know what you mean M-"

"You don't know what we mean?" Misty cut in, raising her voice slightly. It was obvious they weren't happy with her about something, but what that was? She had _no _idea. "Dawn, don't play innocent with us. You know perfectly well what we're going on about, so don't you even _dare _think about playing stupid!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" May asked, the irritated expression on her face becoming more present. Misty mirrored her actions, which caused Dawn to look at them bluntly; what the _fuck _were they talking about?

"Tell you what?" she asked, the irritation in her voice becoming clear. "I honestly have no idea what you're-"

"The offer," Misty said, staring at the table. "Why didn't you tell us that you were planning on leaving, Dawn?"

It then became clear to her what May and Misty were talking about; her job offer to Unova. She knew for certain that she hadn't told them about the offer from her manager herself, so _how _did they find out? She hadn't told _anyone_ apart from her mom, and her letter was hidden away in her drawer somewhere… noticing her throat had gone dry, she felt her eyes start to sting and her vision became blurred.

"I-I was pla-"

"What, were you just going to get up and leave us, Dawn? Is _that _what you were going to do?" Misty asked, her voice raised.

"What about Paul, and Ash and Drew and… what about us? Do we not mean _anything _to you?" May added, her voice full of anger and hurt.

"If you'd just let me explain I'd-"

"There's nothing to explain anymore!" Misty shouted, standing up from her seat. "We get it. You don't give a fucking _shit _about us, or anyone else but yourself, Dawn. So just save it, and go. Go to Unova, as far away from us as possible… I don't even want to speak to you anymore."

By now, the whole cafeteria was silent, students watching their every move. In other situations, she didn't mind people watching her, but this was _completely _different. She felt herself choke, and before she knew it, the tears came crashing down her face. She swallowed the lump in her throat and felt her bottom lip tremble. She scanned the cafeteria to see people looking at her in disgust, others in pity. Her gaze then turned back to the two girls in front of her, the two girls who she considered her best friends. All she could see in their eyes were anger, hurt and bitterness. She turned around and walked out of the cafeteria as quickly as she could, keeping her head down. As she walked through the doors, more tears fell and her pace quickened. She had to get away from this place, anywhere. She then crashed into someone, making her jump and look up instantly.

"P-Paul!" she exclaimed, looking at him in desperation. She flung her arms around him and cried into his chest, but something wasn't right; she didn't feel his grasp around her. Instead, she felt his hands grab her shoulders and push her away.

"Get off me, Dawn," he said, bitterness in his voice. She froze and stared at him in shock; she was motionless. She just didn't know what to do.

"Paul, I-"

"I don't want to fucking know, Dawn!" he shouted, grabbing his hair. He then composed himself and continued, avoiding eye contact with her. "I know all about it. The offer to Unova. And you know what? I'm fucking _pleased _you're leaving. Go and live out there, do what you want, because I don't give a _shit _anymore!"

"But, I'm n-"

"I thought you'd changed. I thought that, actually, Dawn Berlitz, the girl who was meant to be an unappreciative and selfish bitch had changed, but fuck was I wrong."

She stared at him in utter disbelief; the boy who meant absolutely everything to her, who showed her what was really important in life and taught her so much, had turned against her, just like that. The pain in her eyes was unbearable, and her cheeks felt dry and sore from the amount of tears that had fallen.

"So go. Go and do what you're supposed to do, live the life of fame, because I'd be a lot happier without you, Dawn," he said, eyeing her with hatred. "You've made it perfectly clear that I don't mean anything to you, so get out of my fucking sight, Dawn! Just fucking go!"

That was it. She ran. And ran. And ran. She couldn't stand this any longer. So many emotions were flowing throughout her body, she didn't know _what _she felt. Emptiness. She felt her face go hot with anger, her tears stung her cheeks and her vision remained blurred and barely visible. Her mouth was dry, and it was almost as if the ability to talk had been completely sucked out of her. Slamming open the door to her dormitory, she flung herself on her bed and cried into her pillow, pulling her hair. She'd never felt like this. It was the worst feeling that she'd ever felt, worse than being ill, or knowing she'd lost a Contest. Then, pushing herself off of the bed, she rummaged around in her bag for her Pokégear. She froze as she eyed it, fright in her eyes. She was about to do something that would change everything she'd ever had. Shaking her head, she dialled the number and waited anxiously for the person on the other line to answer. After a few rings, the voice answered, and Dawn managed to swallow hard and console herself enough to talk.

"I've accepted. I've accepted the offer to Unova."


	16. Realisation

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you're all well.

Here's the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life_. There's not much longer left of this story really, still quite a way to go, but it's _almost_ over!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and things will start to become much clearer in this chapter. Also, I read what some of you had to say about what you think will happen, and they're all good guesses! A lot of people thought about how Dawn's manager somehow got everyone to turn on her, so here's where you'll get a good idea on what _did _happen.

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 16

Realisation

Emptiness; the only word that could be used to describe how Dawn was feeling right now. The events of yesterday kept going through her head, and boy did they make her stomach churn. Nothing seemed to make sense; she _knew _she hadn't told them about the offer she got, so how did they find out? Also, she couldn't help but hate how they hadn't let her speak at all. Not one word was allowed out of her mouth, which hurt her even more. If Paul had just let her explain, maybe things would've been different right now. She didn't even _want _to accept the offer, but by how things were, she thought she didn't really have a choice. As she heaved herself up from the bed she had slept on in one of the spare dormitories, she figured it was best if she started to get ready. Her manager would be picking her up within a few hours, and then Pokémon Tech would just be a memory; a sad, gut wrenching, distant memory.

As she approached her original dormitory, she quietly opened it to check if May and Misty were not present. She was successful, and as she made her way in, she grabbed her pink suitcase that was placed in the far wardrobe. Placing it on her bed, she breathed in heavily and attempted to start packing. A weak smile played on her lips as she looked at the amount of clothes and shoes she had bought along with her to the school, not forgetting the endless number of bags, accessories and other fashion items shoved in the corners. Starting with her clothes, she began moving them into her suitcase and then finally, moved onto the last few bits. As she zipped it up and placed it on the floor, she thought now would be a good time to have one last look around the room that she had become so familiar with; Misty's side of the room, her bed covers a variation of blue and green, and the pictures above it of magazine articles she was in and hundreds of water Pokémon.

She then looked over at May's bed; messy as usual, with simple red quilt covers and pillow cases scrunched up and odd food rappers lying around. Above her bed were pictures of May at all the different Contest halls she'd been too and pictures of her on her travels with Harley, Solidad and of course, Drew. A small vase was placed on her bedside table, with at least five roses sat in it perfectly and her Contest ribbon cases were piled next to it.

Lastly, Dawn looked at her own part of the room. Her pink bed sheets were made perfectly, and her fluffy toy Piplup was sitting in the space between her two pillows. Above her bed was a collage made up of all the major achievements in Dawn's life; rough designs of outfits she'd made, pictures of her during her Contests, pictures of her with her Pokémon and lastly, the lucky ribbon her mom had given her all those years ago. But one thing really caught her eye; a small, simple photo frame sat on her bedside table and the picture within it was of her, May and Misty. Dawn was situated in the middle of the two girls, looking as happy as ever, she noticed. May was grinning largely, while Misty had a small, subtle smile. While thinking of Paul, she touched it gently, and she felt small, salty tears start to fall over her cheeks. She couldn't believe she'd be leaving these people behind; the people who meant more to her than anything.

_Remember what they did to you, _she kept thinking to herself, trying to stop the tears from falling, but nothing seemed to work. She then found herself crying uncontrollably, throwing her back against the wall and sliding down it slowly. She thought back to the day when she was packing for her first day at Pokémon Tech, and thought of how ironic it was that she was in the exact same situation as she was then; back to square one. As she looked up to the ceiling, a glimmer of light shined in the corner of her eye from a small space in the room.

Turning her head towards it, she squinted to see what it was. Something small and shiny was left on the floor, just towards the door of her dormitory. Getting up from her spot on the floor, she made her way towards it and picked the small object up.

Her stomach dropped.

As she examined the object, she realised what it was. And all of a sudden, things began to make sense. Scrambling over her bed and quickly rummaging through her drawer, she felt her stomach drop even more.

Her letter from her manager was no longer in her drawer where she'd left it.

She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it coming, or hadn't even guessed it.

She looked at the object in her hands again and gritted her teeth with hatred.

It was Giselle's Head Girl badge.


	17. Fighter

Author's Note: It's me again! I managed to update a bit quicker this time! Thank you to everyone that reviewed, as I say all the time, I wouldn't be able to do this without you!

Anyway, here's the next chapter of _Crazy Beautiful Life. _I hope you enjoy it!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 17

Fighter

The amount of hate Dawn felt towards Giselle right now was indescribable. She'd never fully understood what it felt like to hate someone so much, and didn't even think it was _possible_, yet at that moment, she knew _exactly _how it felt. And boy, was Giselle going to get it bad. It was as if there was a switch on Dawn, and someone had suddenly come along and turned it on, then instantly, everything started to make sense. Everything as in the whole situation and _why _it had happened in the first place; how Giselle herself had found out by listening in on her conversation with her mom, how Paul and the others found out by Giselle showing them her letter, why they were so angry at her. Yet, she couldn't help but blame herself for letting things get out of hand. She should've known Giselle had something to do with it. Out of all the people she knew who disliked her, she'd never thought they'd go _this _far to make her miserable. Not even Ursula would stoop that low.

_That just goes to show how sickening Giselle really is, _she thought to herself as she stormed out of the front doors of the school. As she scanned the school grounds, she noticed a large limousine-like car with her manager, Ellis, standing right next to it.

"Hurry up, Dawn, or I'm going to be late!" she shouted across the many busy students that were gathered around. "Yes, she's right here and we're leaving right now, _hurry up _Dawn!" she said once again. She was obviously on the phone to someone important, but that didn't concern Dawn right now. She was looking for someone else. As she spotted her target, she clutched her fists together hard and with eyes like daggers, she started to make her way across the ground in the opposite direction of her manager.

In the distance, she could hear Ellis start to curse at her for ignoring her completely. She knew that what she was about to do could possibly ruin everything, but at that moment in time, she couldn't give a damn. As she gritted her teeth together, she approached the person in confidence and pulled her shoulder so she was facing her, face to face, and then…

_Slap._

Every single student that was in sight fell completely silent. Even Dawn's manager couldn't find the words to speak. As Dawn watched the girl in front of her, a sense of rightfulness went through her body. A few of the students standing around her stepped back and looked at the two girls in shock; more so Dawn. The girl in front of her slowly lifted her head to reveal a large, red hand mark across her face. Her eyes were red and full of pure bitterness, while her mouth was as sour as the personality she presented.

"You dirty, pathetic, sick little _bitch_," Dawn seethed, gritting her teeth together hard. "Words cannot _describe _how much I fucking _hate _you right now, Giselle!"

Giselle flicked her hair and shook her head a little before responding.

"And what exactly are you talking about, hmm?" she asked innocently, trying hard to compose herself. "From where I'm standing, you've just made a _complete _fool of yourself, Dawn. Just like you did the other day," she said smugly, crossing her arms. This just made Dawn hate her even more.

"Don't play fucking _stupid _with me, Giselle. You know _exactly _what I'm talking about, so don't try and act all innocent, because trust me, you're _far _from it!" she said, her voice loud and full of pure anger.

"Enlighten me then, Dawn," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I'd _love_ to hear what you're going on about, and I'm pretty sure everyone else here would, too."

Dawn clenched her fists even harder and gritted her teeth even more. She could easily take another swing at her and handle it the most common way, but she was much more mature than that. And Giselle had already gotten what she deserved.

"The letter," she said simply, looking Giselle straight in the eye. "The fucking letter, Giselle! The letter _I _received from my manager about the offer to Unova. You took it, didn't you?"

Giselle froze slightly and her mouth twitched uneasily.

"I don't know anything about a letter," she said, turning her head away from Dawn. Her lips were pursed, but Dawn smirked slightly. That was exactly what she wanted her to say.

"Oh, you don't know anything about it, huh?" she asked sarcastically, raising her eyebrows. "You see, I find that hard to believe actually, Giselle."

She looked at Dawn once again and then looked around her. More people had gathered, and a sense of nervousness engulfed her like a wave. Dawn noticed this and smirked dirtily.

"You don't make any sense, _bitch_," Giselle mocked, placing her hands on her hips. She stepped forward and looked down at her in fury. "As I said before, I don't know what the _fuck _you're talking about you little sleaze, so _back off, _Dawn."

Dawn half laughed and stepped forward herself, startling Giselle slightly.

"Oh, is _that _how it is, Giselle? Well, I think you might have to reconsider that, because why did I find _this _in my dormitory, hmm?"

Dawn placed her hand in her pocket and slowly brought out Giselle's Head Girl badge, holding it up directly in front of her. As Giselle realised what it was, her eyes widened with shock and her mouth dropped a little, causing Dawn to smirk with pride. People started to talk among groups around them, and all Giselle could do was freeze.

"Exactly," Dawn spat, throwing the badge at her. "I _know _it was you, Giselle. I _know _you took the letter from my drawer. Did you really think I was _that _stupid? And did you really think that all of this would blow over, and that your _devious_ little plan would work? You may be _so _far up your own arse in all of the attention you get, but I _honestly _didn't think that you'd stoop so low as to _ruin _somebody else's reputation."

Dawn let out a huge breath and looked at the ground for just a moment. Everywhere still remained silent. As she looked up again, she noticed that Giselle was staring at her in utter hatred, and her eyes had started to well up. A few of the other girls around Giselle gathered around her and scowled at Dawn, but that didn't bother her at all. She'd finally won.

She gave Giselle one last look and turned around, strutting towards the large limo that was awaiting her. She slammed the door that was open for her shut and stood in front of her manager, smiling.

"Dawn, you are in _serious _trouble, you do know that," Ellis seethed, looking her up and down. "Do you realise that your _whole_ career could be ruined because of what you just did, young lady?"

"I don't care."

"What do you mean you don't care? Get in the car _now, _Dawn, or you will no longer have me as a manager anymore, do you hear me?" she said, opening the door once again. Dawn took a step back and raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Ellis asked, raising her voice a lot more than expected. "Get in the car, Dawn, before I fucking _drag _you in myself!"

"I'm not going with you!" Dawn shouted, slamming the door shut once more. "I didn't even _want_ to accept the damn offer in the first place, but because of that _manipulator _over there, I felt like I didn't have a choice!"

"Well tough shit, Dawn! You're coming with me and that's _final. _Now I'll say it again. Get in the car."

"You just don't get it, do you? I'm _not _coming with you. I'm staying here at Pokémon Tech, whether you like it or not."

"I just don't understand you, Dawn!" she retaliated, thumping her hand on the car. "You couldn't stand this place a few months ago and you couldn't wait to get out of here, so _why _do you want to stay here? If anything, I'm doing you a favour!"

"But, that was before! Things have changed now, and I've realised just how important it is for me to be here. The amount of lessons I've learnt over the past few months, and the number of friendships I've gained from being here, means much more to me than some offer to the Unova region on something that, quite frankly, I don't even want to do at the moment!"

"You're crazy, Dawn, and you'll regret this for the rest of your life if you don't get your sorry little ass in that car _right _now."

"I'm telling you now, Ellis, I'm _not _coming with you. So you can tell the people of Nimbasa City that Dawn Berlitz will _not _be designing the future outfits for Pokémon Musicals, but has instead decided to do what _she _wants to do for once instead of what her miserable, demanding and _user _of a manager wants her to do."

Ellis went to open her mouth, but nothing would come out. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips together and stepped into the car. After slamming the door shut, she opened the window and grabbed Dawn's blouse.

"You will be _nothing _without me, you spoilt little bitch. And when you come crying back to me when all of this flops, I will just _laugh _my fucking head off."

And with that, she drove off raging mad, leaving the dust to engulf the school ground. Dawn felt her lips start to tremble and she let out a large breath. Then, with her eyes gleaming, she grinned. And it felt good. She'd finally been able to stand up for herself without caring about what might happen, or about what other people might think. She no longer had to put up with Ellis as her manager, and as for Giselle? Well, she got what she deserved. Her good feelings soon disappeared as soon as she heard the sarcastic laugh of Giselle approaching her.

"Oh dear, Dawn," she laughed, causing Dawn to turn around and look at her awkwardly. "You've really gone and made things awkward now, haven't you?"

Dawn quirked an eyebrow and looked at her dumbly, rage starting to build up in her again.

"What are you talking about?"

Giselle looked around at the girls beside her and rolled her eyes before looking at Dawn once again.

"Just think about it, genius," she said, hands on hips. "You've just made things even worse for yourself, because if you're staying here… who are you going to, you know, tag along with?"

Dawn's stomach dropped.

"I mean, as far as things go, everyone still hates you," she continued, casually walking towards her. "This means, poor little Dawn is all alone."

Dawn felt a lump in her throat start to form. She hadn't thought about the consequences of staying at Pokémon Tech, and as far as things went, it looked like Giselle was right for once; she _was_ on her own. As she caught Giselle's eye again, a smug smile spread across her face.

"No need to worry," Giselle said, winking at her before walking away ever so confidently. Just when she thought she'd upped her game, Dawn felt like she was at the bottom again. While she was confronting her manager about her decision, she'd completely forgotten about how things would be for her. And, at the moment, they weren't looking good; at all.

She looked up at the students around the grounds and tried her hardest to fight back the many tears that were desperate to fall. Taking a deep breath, she smiled, stood up straight and headed back towards the main entrance of the school.


	18. True

Author's Note: Hey guys! I decided to update slightly earlier this time around. Just because I think that you all deserve it so much for being so supportive! Enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 18

True

Well. That was eventful. She'd managed to slap Giselle, get her manager to leave and stay out of the offer… yet Dawn still felt like absolute shit; humiliated, too. Mainly because of what Giselle had said right at the end of their little confrontation, and her words kept going around in her head. Just when she thought she'd won, Giselle _had _to go and ruin things again. And what made it worse was that this time, she was right. Dawn _was _alone. As she started unpacking her suitcase, she looked down at Piplup who looked up at her with a sad expression. Smiling gently, she picked him up and cuddled him close to her, knowing that at least she still had her Pokémon to comfort her. And they would _always _stick by her no matter what.

"Everything will be okay, Piplup," she said, stroking his head. "I did the right thing."

And she did. After everything that had happened; her argument between Misty and May, Paul turning against her, accepting the offer, her confrontation with Giselle and _finally _getting her manager to turn away… she did the right thing.

Taking out her folded pieces of clothing, one by one, she placed each piece onto her bed. When she turned away to open her wardrobe, she noticed the pile of clothing she had placed on her bed was no longer there. A look of confusion came across her face, and as she turned back around, she realised why.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked, smiling awkwardly. They stopped what they were doing and looked at Dawn guiltily.

"Because we were wrong."

Dawn stared at the two girls intently and felt her eyes watering up. She swallowed hard and smiled once again before shutting her suitcase for the time being.

"We were there, just then," Misty said. "We heard and saw everything that happened… and it all makes sense now."

"We can't believe how stupid we were," May added, looking to the floor. "But, what we really feel bad about is how we could turn against our best friend so easily like that."

Dawn bit her lip and ran her hand through her hair.

"Why _did_ you turn against me so easily?" she asked, looking them both in the eyes. They looked at each other awkwardly before responding.

"Giselle may be a bitch, but I didn't think she was smart," Misty said, reaching for her bag. "Dawn… she made things look so… believable."

"She fooled us," May said, frowning. "And this is why."

Misty pulled out the letter from Dawn's manager from her bag. She then pulled out another letter, but this one was different. It had the school name at the top of it, as well as Dawn's log in number.

"What's this letter?" asked Dawn, taking the other letter from Misty's hand. Her eyes then widened and she felt herself go hot with fury.

"She hacked you, Dawn," Misty said, a serious expression on her face. "And _that's _why it was so easy to believe her."

Dawn was speechless; she couldn't get her head around it. Sat right in front of her was a letter that she had supposedly written, explaining why her friends were so easily fooled.

"But, how did she do this? How did she get into my account?" she asked in disbelief, shaking her head in frustration.

"She's Head Girl," May said, crossing her arms. "She has access to everyone's accounts in the year, which is out of line as is it. But for her to take advantage of that is even worse."

"No wonder you believed her," Dawn choked, trying not to sound too upset. "That was the main thing that confused me. I just couldn't understand why you chose to ignore what I had to say so easily."

"And we're sorry, Dawn," May said, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"You don't realise how awful we feel, not just for believing Giselle, but for not staying true to you, Dawn," Misty added, throwing the letter on the bed. "If we could go back and change how we reacted, you know we would."

"I wasn't going to go, you know," Dawn said, looking up at them. "You truly are my best friends… but, when everything happened in the cafeteria, and when I discovered that you two weren't the only ones who Giselle had fooled… I felt like I didn't have a choice, so I accepted the offer."

"But, we just want you to know Dawn, that, if none of this had happened, we would've stuck by you, whatever choice you made," Misty said, smiling subtly.

"The only reason we got so angry was because of Giselle, because she made it look like we didn't mean anything to you… and that you were just going to pack up and leave."

"It looks that way be reading the letter she put together," Dawn spat, picking it up once again. Instead of reading it, she smirked dirtily, and, without hesitation, she ripped it in half.

"She caused something that completely ruined me," she said, sternly looking at May and Misty. "Now, I feel like half the school hates me, because no one knows the true story but us. I can't imagine things being the same again… take me and Paul for example."

At the sound of Paul's name, May and Misty both looked at each other helplessly and then pulled Dawn into a tight hug. At this, they heard her start to sob.

"I don't know what's going on with Paul at the moment, Dawn," Misty said, pulling out of the hug. "But all I know is that, if he's a reasonable person, and if he truly cares about you… then he'll come around."

Dawn looked up at the two girls in front of her. They both smiled at her reassuringly and wiped the smudged mascara that was under her eyes. Dawn then half laughed and wiped her eyes herself and cleared her cheeks from any tears.

"That's the Dawn we're used to seeing!" May said cheerily. Her expression then became serious again as she thought of something that hadn't been dealt with yet. "There's still one thing, though… what about Giselle?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, May," Dawn said, grinning confidently. "I'm not going to stoop to her level and get revenge on her or anything. But I will do _one_ thing."

"And what's that?" asked Misty, quirking an eyebrow.

Dawn smirked and grabbed the two pieces of the ripped letter from the floor. She then rummaged through her makeup bag and took out a red lipstick. Leaning the letter pieces against the wall, she began to write something onto them. She could feel May and Misty peering over her shoulder in curiosity, and when she was done, she handed it to them.

As they read what Dawn had written on the ripped letter, they smiled broadly. A simple message was written in ruby red lipstick, which read:

_You can't fool me, bitch!_

_Dawn._

"That'll do," Dawn said, satisfied with her plan. And, she would stick it onto Giselle's door to make her realise that, actually, she hasn't ruined _everything_. The three girls then looked at each other and burst out laughing, crashing onto the bed together.

"I have to admit, the look on Giselle's face was _priceless _when you slapped her, Dawn," Misty said, holding her stomach from laughing so much.

"As soon as we saw you storming across the school ground, we both knew some shit was about to go down," added May, grinning.

"Well, what can I say? She deserved it," Dawn replied, sitting herself up.

"But, you know," May continued, looking slightly excited. "We _still _haven't got our outfits for the Knock 'Em Dead dance."

"I completely forgot about that!" Dawn said. "With everything going on, I didn't even _want _to think about the dance."

"What day was it, again?" May asked, raising one eyebrow. All three girls suddenly looked at each other and their eyes widened with shock.

"It's tomorrow night! We'll never get outfits in time," Dawn said, sounding disappointed.

"Calm down," Misty said, standing up to start emptying Dawn's suitcase once again. "We've got the _whole _day tomorrow to shop. So, if May decides to get her lazy ass out of bed early enough, then we can get something tomorrow."

"I'm not _that _lazy, Misty," May retorted, suddenly looking a bit nervous. "But, you might have to help to get me out of bed in the morning," she added, grinning sheepishly. Misty rolled her eyes and continued placing the folded items of clothing into Dawn's part of the wardrobe.

"It's a plan, then," Dawn said, helping Misty out. "We'll find our outfits tomorrow, whether that means travelling to _hundreds_ of different towns."

"I've never felt so much pressure in my life!" May exclaimed, looking in the mirror as she played around with her hair. "I have _no _idea what I'm going to wear, or how I'm going to have my hair, or how to do my makeup, or what colour dress I should get, or-"

"May!" Misty shouted, causing both May _and _Dawn to jump. She sighed heavily and walked over towards her panic stricken friend. "We've got _all _day tomorrow. The actual dance doesn't start until the evening, so don't worry. We'll find you a dress that will make Drew want you even more than he does already, okay?"

She laughed as she saw May's jaw drop and her cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

"Who said anything about trying to impress Drew?" May asked, smirking in a flirtatious way. "Oh, and I'm _sure _we'll find something for you that will make Ash release his inner romantic," she replied, causing Misty to blush. She half laughed before nudging May on the shoulder.

"May, Ash couldn't be romantic even if he tried! I swear, six years on and he's still a kid at heart."

"You might be surprised," Dawn grinned, elbowing Misty slightly. Her grin then faltered as she thought about whom she _would _have been going with if it wasn't for Giselle. She hadn't seen him all week since their argument in the hallway, and for some reason, she thought that he wouldn't be going to the dance. And, it was at that moment that she realised just how much she truly missed him. His advice, his smile, his kisses… she missed everything about Paul, and it hurt. Deep inside, it really hurt.

"No need to worry, Dawn," May smiled. She noticed Dawn's change of behaviour, Misty too, but they wouldn't let that change Dawn's opinion on the dance; she'd still be going, and they would make sure she'd look drop dead _gorgeous _no matter what.


	19. Knock 'Em Dead: The Beginning

Author's Note: Hello everyone!

I hope you're all well. I've been quite busy recently, so that's why it's taken me a bit longer to update. Plus, I've been spending quite a lot of time making sure this chapter is perfect, because I'm picky like that! Also, after this chapter, there's only one more chapter left… it's gone so quick!

So, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I was considering putting this chapter and the next chapter together, but I think that would be too long. So, I've split them into two. And they're both taking place at the Knock 'Em Dead dance.

Enjoy!

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 19

Knock 'Em Dead: The Beginning

After what felt like decades of shopping, the girls had _finally _found their desired outfits for the Knock 'Em Dead dance. At first, they were having no luck, as every shop they went into just didn't have _anything _stylish whatsoever. All that was left were sale dresses that were either so hideous not even a model could pull it off, or sizes above average. And, of course, with May being the dramatic type of person she was, it only put more stress on Dawn and Misty. And, although Dawn hated to admit it, she herself was panicking deep inside; she was just better at not showing it.

Then, finally, just as she was about to give up hope, Dawn spotted a small, quaint shop hidden away from the busy atmosphere of the shopping centre. It didn't look too promising, but anything was worth a try when you were in _their_ situation. Choosing to ignore her bickering acquaintances, she crossed the road and peeped into the window.

Bingo.

Noticing they had at least fifteen minutes left before the shop closed, she made her way back across the street and dragged Misty and May, who were bickering so much they didn't even notice Dawn had pulled them into the shop. May was arguing about how they were going to look like the 'complete freaks of the night', while Misty was going on about how May overacts too much; with that one, Dawn agreed. Then, the girls suddenly fell silent. They paused as they looked around the shop, their eyes wide with wonder. A smile of triumph crept across Dawn's face, and within no time, the girls were looking through the hundreds of dresses that were hanging up and trying on countless pairs of shoes. And, the young girl in the shop even let them stay a little longer over time so that they could find the perfect item for them.

Once they'd purchased their outfits, they quickly made their way back towards the school as they had little time to get ready before the dance started. May had finally calmed down about the outfits, but now she was panicking about getting ready in time and how she didn't want to turn up late as it's 'too embarrassing'. All Dawn could do was roll her eyes and smile; things were finally back to normal.

. . .

"Dawn, will you hurry up? The dance started at least ten minutes ago!" May shouted through the bathroom door. "It can't take you _that _long to get ready, what are you doing in there?"

As if on cue, the bathroom door unlocked. Frustratingly, May looked up with a large frown on her face but it suddenly disappeared because of the sight in front of her.

"Okay, I'm ready, May," Dawn said while putting her lip gloss into her clutch bag, oblivious to May's shocked expression. When she heard no response, she frowned and looked up. Seeing May and now Misty both staring at her in awe, she stared at them with a worried expression.

"What?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. Then, panic struck her; what if they were staring at her because she looked completely ridiculous? Or something was on her face, or behind her, or Arceus knows what else. Before she had the time to say anything, May beat her to it.

"You look…" said May, struggling to find the words to describe Dawn.

"I look what?" asked Dawn, confusion engulfing her. "Why, is it bad? Do I look-"

"You look incredible!" Misty blurted out, her mouth hanging open like a Magikarp.

Dawn, who had spent over an hour getting ready, really was unaware of how good she actually looked. An absolutely stunning midnight purple short gown sat on her figure perfectly. It had a taffeta bodice that featured an asymmetrical bow at the neckline, while the bottom of the dress had a lettuce edge hem that flowed out like waves. The back of the dress was corseted, which complimented her petite waste in ways that many girls envied. Her skin shimmered in the light and had a healthy glow to it, as well as her hair, which fell in loose curls down her back and in front of her chest. Her fringe was bouncy and light, which made her eyes look dark and mysterious. She had gone for the smoky eyed look, but to make it a bit more interesting, she added a bit of dark purple to it to match the dress she wore. A thick line of eyeliner could be seen on her top lash line that flicked out slightly at the corners, while her eyelashes were long and curved; the perfect finish to her large blue eyes. A nude coloured lip gloss covered her lips, while a small hint of blush could be seen on her cheeks.

"Thank you," she replied, clutching the small bag that was in her hands. "But, you know girls, you two look drop dead _gorgeous, _so don't go thinking I've stole the show," she joked, giving them a small wink.

"I don't want to sound big headed or anything, but I actually agree with you on that one," Misty added, grinning. "It's not every day I dress myself up like this, so when I do, I always feel special."

"Too right!" May said, giving them a twirl. "And when the guys see us, they won't be able to resist!"

"Well, let's get moving then," Dawn said, opening the door. "We don't want to keep them waiting, now do we?"

Grinning mischievously, the three girls stepped out the door to their dormitory and made their way down to the main hall, where the dance was being held. But first, Dawn had something to do.

Taking out the letter Giselle had faked, she smiled to herself. She could finally end this shit for good, and move on with her life. She didn't have time for petty people like Giselle. Taking out a bit of tape, she stuck the letter to Giselle's dormitory door and laughed slightly. The red lipstick stood out, so she'd be sure to find it when she got back.

Catching up again with May and Misty, they both stopped and hid beside a row of lockers.

"Okay… you ready girls?" Dawn asked, taking in a deep breath.

"Ready," the two girls said in unison, and with that, they flung the doors to the main hall open and stepped in together, strutting confidently. And, as they had wanted, all eyes were on them.

The first thing they noticed was how much the hall had been transformed; Arceus, you wouldn't even _guess _it was a school assembly hall if you didn't know that already. The walls had been completely covered in white, as well as the floor and ceiling. Large ice sculptures of various Legendary Pokemon were situated in each corner of the room, and lights that flashed hundreds of different colours lit up the small bits of glitter that were on the walls. Every now and again, a quick flash of strobe lighting would take place, which added to the exhilaration of the night. A delicious looking chocolate fountain was placed right in the centre of what looked like where most of the food was, and a DJ stood on a tall post towards the end of the hall.

"Wow, _look _at this place!" May said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Dawn grinned at her oblivious friend; she hadn't noticed _at all _that people were still staring at them.

"Forget the hall, May," Misty said nervously, looking around. "Look at everyone else."

It was as if Misty had read Dawn's mind. May looked at them both in confusion and then put her gaze upon the masses of students that had already arrived. Her face dropped and a slight tinge could be seen in her cheeks.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asked, biting her lip. Grinning, Dawn continued taking in the atmosphere.

"It's a good thing, May," she said. "So enjoy it while it lasts."

"This is _so _awesome," May said, her eyes widening as she spotted the chocolate fountain. "And, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going over to that chocolate fountain!"

"Typical May," Misty giggled, watching her friend run over towards the fountain and make herself a large fruit kebab, placing it under the flowing chocolate. "Any sign of the guys yet?"

"Not yet," replied Dawn, scanning the crowds of people for any sign of the guys, or one guy in particular. Her heart sank a little, but she tried her best not to let it get to her too much. This was her night, and she was going to make sure she'd enjoy it.

"They're probably getting ready still," Misty said, laughing slightly at the thought of Ash, Drew and Paul all getting ready together. "I bet they're all complaining about how their tuxedos look."

"Probably," Dawn laughed, picturing the image. "I wonder if Gary's getting ready with them?"

"It wouldn't surprise me, really. They all get along pretty well, and Gary _loves _getting dressed up, so he'll put them all straight."

Dawn nodded and glanced over at May again. She was still helping herself to food, but instead, she had someone with her now. And it wasn't Drew.

"Looks like May's got some company," she said, nodding her head towards the said girl. Misty looked over her shoulder and cringed slightly. Hanging over May was none over than Brendan, her old childhood friend from when she used to live in Littleroot Town. Both girls knew he had a _major _crush on her, but unfortunately, May didn't know that, which only made matters worse.

"Do you think we should go over there?" Misty asked, watching as Brendan slowly stepped closer and closer to May.

"Yeah, uh, listen, I'll meet you over there in a minute. I'm just going to go and get some fresh air, okay? All this smoke and lighting is making me a little dizzy," Dawn lied, slowly backing away.

"Sure, whatever," Misty said, strutting towards her food loving friend. As soon as Dawn saw Misty was at the other side of the hall, she made her way outside the school and breathed in the fresh air. Then, looking around to make sure no one would follow her, she made her way over to the gymnasium.

Opening the doors, Dawn felt the wall for a switch. Finding it, she flicked it on and the gymnasium lit up, the sound of her heels echoing as she walked. Walking up towards the centre, she looked around at the seat stands and board that showed who would be winning in a battle. She shut her eyes and breathed in the scent of victory, picturing the crowds screaming the winners name and cheering in delight. A small smile spread across her face, but it then faltered. She thought about Paul, and when she first followed him in here that one night. She remembered being amazed by his battling skills, and how much he had changed towards treating his Pokémon. And, just as she reminisced the feeling she got when she spoke to him…

"Dawn?"

Her eyes shot open.

She felt her heart start beating rapidly, and her breathing became quicker and less relaxed.

Swallowing hard, she slowly turned around.

There was Paul.


	20. Knock 'Em Dead: The End

Author's Note: Hey everyone! It's been a while, but once again, I had trouble with uploading and editing chapters. Also, every time I went to edit my story, it would come up with an error, so as you can probably guess, I was getting _really _pissed off. Anyhow, it's _finally _working, and I've finished this chapter!

Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it's worth it.

Crazy Beautiful Life

Chapter 20

Knock 'Em Dead: The End

She'd never felt so nervous. It was just like stepping onto the stage at her first ever Contest, except ten times worse. There stood Paul, looking smart yet casual in his tuxedo. The grey shirt he was wearing was open slightly at the top, revealing part of his toned chest, and a tie, surprisingly a similar colour to Dawn's dress, was hung loosely around his neck. The rest of his suit was simply black, while his hair hadn't changed a lot, except it was styled a bit more than usual.

She felt her legs go weak as he stared into her eyes. Gosh, she had missed him; his eyes, his expression, the rare smile that only she could see… his whole presence sent shivers down her spine, and before she could even stop herself, tears started to fall down her face.

"I was such an idiot, Paul," she spluttered, looking at the floor. "I know that I should've told you about the offer sooner, but I just didn't think it was that important because I wasn't going to accept it."

His expression remained the same; serious, but the glint in his eye told Dawn that he was listening to her words. She looked away again before continuing.

"And you know why I wasn't going to accept it, Paul?" she asked him, looking him straight in the eyes as she felt a boost of confidence flow through her. "Because you have taught me _so _much and you've made me feel things that I've _never _felt before. The day I got the letter, the first thing I did was talk to my mom, because I was _so _confused about what to do Paul! You don't realise how much pressure there is when something like this happens, and mom's the only one who understands the consequences of it."

She heard his footsteps and glanced at his feet. He was slowly walking towards her, but only in small steps.

"So I told her about everything that's gone on in the past few months I've been here. And you know who was at the top of my list? You. Because there is _no one _else I would rather be with, Paul. I didn't want to accept because the thought of knowing that you wouldn't be there with me made me feel sick, Paul! You mean _that_ much to me that I can't even imagine life without you anymore!"

As more tears began to fall, she balled her hands into fists and the next thing she felt was a pair of strong, reassuring arms wrapped around her. Her hands relaxed again and she felt herself begin to shake as she slowly put her own arms around him before holding him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Dawn," he said simply, tightening his own grip around her. "I am _so _sorry."

She cried even more into his chest and couldn't find the strength to reply. Instead, she just stayed there in his arms and embraced the moment as much as she could.

"I feel awful for not listening to you, Dawn. For the past week, I've kept going over what happened, and every time I think of what I did to you, I feel sick in the pit of my stomach, because I can't believe I let myself believe this shit," he said, stroking her hair. He pulled out of the hug and held her shoulders gently, lifting her chin up with his hand. Then, he looked into those crystal blue eyes and smiled.

"I've fallen in love with you, Dawn Berlitz. And I will never do _anything _to hurt you again."

Dawn felt a grin spread across her face and she cupped his face in her hands.

"I've fallen in love with you too, Paul."

For the first time, she saw him grin, and then he pulled her into a deep and meaningful kiss. She'd waited so long for this moment, and all of a sudden, her world was complete again.

. . .

Back in the main hall, the dance had well and truly started now. Almost every student was now up and raring to go, while others were in groups singing along to every song that came on. Some were already dancing, while the odd few were still questioning whether to go and join them. But, at one side of the hall, Drew stood with his back hunched, staring at one person in particular. Ash stood next to him, feeling quite awkward around his envy-filled friend.

"Just look at him, acting like he knows it all," Drew said, his piercing eyes green with jealousy. Ironic, Ash thought, trying hard not to laugh, but he kept quiet as his friend carried on. "And what is it with that stupid hat he always wears, huh? Looks like a right dick if you ask me!"

Ash shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the cup he was holding. This had been going on for the past ten minutes now, and it was the most out of character he'd ever seen Drew be. Of course, the person he was ranting about was Brendan Birch, his top rival. Not in Coordinating, or battling, or anything else of that matter, but the girl of his dreams; May. Misty's plan of getting her away from him had failed, and Brendan was still luring her into his trap. Or, that was how Drew put it, anyway.

"Dude, just go and talk to her," Ash finally said, sick to death of Drew's moping. "If you like her that much, then just tell her," he said, leaning back on the table. Drew looked up at him, slightly shocked, but then he smirked.

"Hypocrite," Drew said, flicking his hair.

"What do you mean hypocrite?" Ash asked dumbly, frowning at Drew. "I'm not a hypocrite!"

Drew laughed slightly and stood up straight.

"One word, Ash," he said, ruffling his messy black hair. "Misty."

And with that, he walked away towards May and Brendan, ready to put up a fight if need be. Ash, however, stood there in shock with his mouth agape and he felt his cheeks go hot.

_Damn, he knows how to wind me up, _he thought to himself, shaking his head. Thinking of the red head, he hadn't seen her all evening, and casually, he started looking around the hall for any sign of her.

At that moment, Dawn and Paul had returned to the dance, hands intertwined. They both scanned the hall for their group of friends, and the first thing they saw was Drew standing closely by May and Brendan, looking pretty glum.

"So, what's the plan?" Dawn asked, her face now fresh and back to how it was. "We've got four people that desperately need to be hooked up tonight, and one of them's already on the verge of attacking Brendan."

Paul smirked and squeezed her hand.

"I'll distract Brendan," he said, nodding towards him. "I'll go and start talking to him about battling skills and how good he is and a load of other bullshit. He always falls for it."

"Sounds good!" Dawn said enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm going to try and find Misty or Ash."

With that, the couple separated and headed their own ways. Paul headed straight towards Brendan, going over what he was going to say in his head.

"Brendan," he said, interrupting his conversation with May. "Man, I saw you battling the other day, some wicked strategies you've got going on there," he said, cringing at how enthusiastic he sounded at something which was far from true.

"Cheers, Paul!" Brendan said, turning away from May. "Well, hey, I'd happily go through some techniques I have with you if you want?"

Paul glanced over at Drew who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Paul widened his eyes and briefly nodded his head towards May, who was now standing alone. Drew smirked and nodded of his consent while Paul returned to his fake conversation with Brendan.

"Sounds sweet, pal," Paul said, grunting slightly at what he had just said. Drew owed him _bad_ after this.

As soon as Paul had led Brendan away slightly, Drew swallowed hard and loosened his tie. He'd never felt so much pressure. It was now or never with May, and if he didn't make a move soon, Brendan would be in there with _his _girl.

. . .

Dawn scanned the hall desperately, looking for a sign of either Ash or Misty. She'd had no luck so far, but her heart then dropped as she saw Misty in a corner of the hall with someone that definitely _wasn't _Ash; Rudy. Misty had mentioned him briefly before and had told her about how the two of them had hit it off pretty well, but tonight was a time where Rudy needed to stay away from her; _far_ away from her.

As she was about to go over there and sort things out, she caught sight of the other person she was looking for. Ash, who had already seen Misty and Rudy chatting together, was sitting on the bench with his teeth gritted and arms crossed. If it was possible, steam would've been coming out of his ears. While Dawn pouted as she tried to think of something, she thought back to when she, May and Misty had had a conversation about Misty's feelings for him.

_I'm not meant to say anything to him, _she thought to herself, biting her lip. _But tonight, that will just have to change._

She casually walked over towards Ash with a bright, welcoming smile plastered across her beaming face.

"Hey, Ash!" she said excitedly, joining him on the bench. "Cool party, huh?"

"Pft, yeah right!" he huffed, still glaring at Rudy. "I'm having the time of my life!"

"Not sure I believe you there," she replied, eyeing him mischievously. "So, are you gonna tell me what's keeping you or not?"

"There's no point," he said disappointingly. "It's not as if you can do anything about it."

"I'm pretty sure I can," she grinned, nudging him in the ribs. "Come on, Ash. At least let me _try _and help you."

He fidgeted slightly and looked at her nervously. Her eyes were wide with anticipation and curiosity, and they had a gleam that made Ash give in almost instantly.

"It's Misty, okay?" he said, going red in the cheeks. "Let's just say that I might and probably do have stronger feelings for her than I did when we were younger but I've never realised it before because I was too young."

He let out a deep breath after that long sentence and Dawn smiled at him confidently.

"Ash, you have no idea that almost everyone you know has been waiting for you and Misty to get together, do you?" she asked him.

"Well… I always knew _something _was up but I never knew what, you know what I'm saying?"

"Listen to me," she said sternly, making him look her in the eyes. "Rudy is _no _competition against you. Just between you and me, I know for a fact that Misty has strong feelings for you, Ash. And I don't just mean _best friend_ anymore. It's grown into something a little bigger."

Ash froze and his mouth fell open slightly. Dawn giggled and stood up from her seat.

"You didn't hear that from me," she said, winking at him before walking away.

Ash still didn't move. He was still trying to take in everything that Dawn had said. This was all pretty new to him… actually, take that back. This was all _very _new to him, and he had _no _idea on what to do.

"You heard her, Ashy-boy!" a snickering voice said from behind him. Ash rolled his eyes and turned around to be faced by his first rival, Gary Oak.

"Don't just stand there like a loser, go and get in there!" he said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Either that, or pussy-boy over there's gonna be getting it on with Misty," he said, almost seriously, but a hint of mockery still existed in his voice.

"Thanks, Gary," Ash said, grinning, and with that, he made his way over to Misty. It was weird; at times, Gary was the biggest asshole going and gave the most awful advice, but then at the most random times, without even trying, he gave the best advice a guy could give.

He'd have to pay him back one day.

. . .

"I must say, Misty, you're looking lovely tonight," Rudy said, leaning his arm against the wall next to Misty. She smiled shyly and looked down into the drink she was holding.

"Thank you, Rudy," she said, changing her view to the dress she was wearing.

She wore a short gown with a shiny, satin underskirt. It had a halter style neckline which was beaded with a matching beaded waistband. It showed off her toned, slender back and the colour matched her eyes perfectly. It was a shimmering bright turquoise which reflected off of every single light and the lettuce hem flattered her long, toned legs. Her makeup was natural, apart from her eye makeup; blue and aqua was splashed about and smudged, a thick line of eyeliner was on her top lid and her eyelashes were curled, opening up her ocean eyes even more. Her hair was in beach waves, with half of it up finished off with a sparkly clip to hold it in place.

"You know Misty, I made a mistake letting you go all those years ago. I shouldn't have-"

"Misty?"

Rudy's expression instantly changed from slick to sick. He glared at the boy in front of him, pure frustration evident in his eyes. Misty smiled slightly as she recognised the voice and turned to face it.

"Hi, Ash," she said subtly, shyness taking over her as she noticed that he was utterly speechless. Of course, in the past, he'd seen Misty more dressed up than usual, but tonight she looked absolutely beautiful. For a brief moment, he'd completely forgotten what he was there for, but the jealous voice of Rudy stopped him in his trance.

"What do you want, Ash? Can't you see that Misty and I are talking?"

"Rudy, I'd really appreciate it if you could just leave me and Misty alone for a while-"

"Why, Ash?" he asked, starting to lose his temper.

"Because, _Rudy, _it's something personal that I want to talk to Misty about in private, so I'll say it again, if you don't mind-"

"You had the chance to talk to Misty throughout the _whole _time you travelled with her Ash, but I guess you were just too naïve and scared to ever say anything."

"Rudy, would you mind telling me what you're talking about?" Misty interrupted, getting slightly frustrated with the way that he was talking to Ash.

"Never mind, Misty, let's just pick up from where we left off, yeah?"

"You know what? Enough is enough!" Ash exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Misty's waist and pulling her into a kiss. A shell shocked expression was on her face, but it soon faltered into something more relaxed and meaningful as she closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around Ash's neck. Rudy balled his fists and slammed his drink on the floor before storming off in complete anger, cursing to himself. Ash then pulled away from the kiss and cupped Misty's face in his hands, brushing his fingers over her lips.

"Misty, you don't realise how long I've wanted to do that," he said, grinning his signature smile. "For a long time, this has been looking at me straight in the face but I've just never realised it before."

"I didn't think you looked at me in that way at all," she admitted, looking at the floor. "Ever since the day I met you, I knew you were special, Ash Ketchum. And never in my life did I think that you'd realise my feelings for you, or return them in any way."

"Well… Misty, I _do _return those feelings for you, and I have a question I'd like to ask you."

She smiled and put her hands on his chest.

"Then go ahead and ask me, silly," she joked, happiness gleaming in her eyes.

"Misty, will you be my girlfriend?"

She paused and her face fell dull. Ash suddenly looked at her in horror, thinking that he had said something wrong, but he then relaxed again as she leant in even closer.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Ash."

. . .

Drew knew that May looked gorgeous, but now that he was closer, she looking _stunning. _Luckily for him, Paul had managed to drag away Brendan, so now, it was just him and May. As he approached her, he found himself staring.

_Shit, play it cool, Drew, _he thought to himself, gritting his teeth. Then, with a flick of his hair, his expression changed from nervous to laidback as he started up a conversation with her.

"Hey, May."

May's eyes widened slightly as she turned around from the table she was standing by. Her eyes shimmered as she looked into his, and a small smile could be seen on her lips.

"Drew," she said, taking the chance to look at him. As usual, he looked perfect; hair was styled perfectly, what he was wearing suited him… everything.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked casually, trying not to blush too much as she caught him looking at her in an odd way; a way she hadn't seen him look at her before.

For once in his life, Drew couldn't find anything cocky or sarcastic to about her. He couldn't fault her at all. She wore a black, strapless, short gown with a red rose print bodice. The beaded neckline and waistline flattered her curves, and the way the dress did up like a corset at the back added a bit of sexiness to the attire. Her hair fell in large, loose curls around her face and down her back, and smoky eyes brought out the sapphire colour of her orbs. A small line of eyeliner was on her top lash line and bottom, and a natural coloured gloss was sat on her lips which lured Drew in even more.

"May, I wanted… well, what I wanted to say was that, there's something I've been needing to tell you."

She stepped a bit closer towards him and smiled reassuringly, not losing eye contact with him. He continued to stare at her intently, and then, deciding to get straight to the point, that's exactly what he did.

"May… I like you. A lot more than you probably think."

May froze slightly and her mouth hung open. She didn't expect him to be so sudden and open about things. She knew that Drew had _some _sort of feelings towards her, but hearing him say it made her speechless. She smirked in a flirty way as she saw him start to go red.

"Is Drew Hayden actually… _nervous _for once?" she asked, snaking her arms around his waist. He gulped and smiled awkwardly, copying her actions.

"Maybe," he said, smirking once again. "But is that a bad thing?"

She lifted her face up closer to his. Sapphire met emerald as the two looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"No. Not at all."

And with that, Drew couldn't resist it any longer. He crashed his lips onto hers and held her close. He'd got the girl he wanted. And he'd be sure not to screw it up.

. . .

"Well this is new," Dawn said as she approached her four friends. "You all decided to let out your long lost feelings for each other and get together then, right?"

"Well…" May said, rolling her eyes as she glanced at Drew.

"You could say that," Ash finished off, putting his arm around Misty.

"Hey, May, I was wondering if… oh."

May turned around to face a pretty gutted looking Brendan. He noticed her paired with Drew, but he then smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it, May," he smiled, giving a nod of defeat to Drew. "Treat her well, Drew," he joked, grinning before walking away. Drew smirked and looked at May again, taking in her presence. It felt a bit strange, but in a good way; the girl who he randomly met all those years ago, his biggest rival in Coordinating, his best friend… his girlfriend. And he didn't want it any other way.

"You've won again, eh Drew?" May asked sarcastically, raising her eyebrow. "But hey, it's gonna be a completely different story in our next Contest!"

"Ha, you wish, May," he retorted, flicking his hair. "Not a chance."

"You might want to think about what you just said there. Because you know, seeing as you're my _boyfriend _now, I'd expect a little more-"

"Respect?"

May stopped her sentence and looked at Drew helplessly. He always managed to stop her from being angry, and there was only one way of doing that; by handing her a rose.

"That's so cheesy!" Ash interrupted, cringing at May and Drew.

"Excuse me?" Misty asked, a surprised expression on her face. "As a matter of fact, that's _extremely _romantic, but I guess some things never change with you, Ash. You're still a kid at heart," she said, looking smug.

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"Some things never change, do they?" May asked, crossing her arms while Ash and Misty continued to bicker.

"Sure don't," a deep voice said from behind Dawn. He then put his arms around her, startling her.

"I was wondering where you'd got to," she said, taking his hand in hers. "How was your motivating conversation with Brendan?"

"Excruciating," Paul replied, grunting. "I've never sounded so enthusiastic before. I sort of feel sorry for the kid, you know, giving him all that crap about how good he is at battling when he's not."

Paul then glared at Drew, causing him to look around nervously.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"You owe me big time, pretty-boy. If I didn't go and talk to Birch over there, you wouldn't be with her right now."

"Yeah, but I wasn't the one that made you talk to him…" he said, smirking at Dawn. She looked up at her boyfriend innocently and grinned, giving him a peck on the lips.

"Have I owed you enough?" she asked him, squeezing his hand. He smiled briefly and kissed her again before whispering in her ear.

"Come with me."

She looked at him curiously and let him take her outside. The two walked back across the school grounds to the gymnasium. The sound of the music in the main hall was muffled and distant, and as Paul shut the door, he walked ahead of her to the middle of the field. The lights were dimmed and he held out his hand.

"I wanted our first dance to be special," he said, looking a bit nervous.

She smiled and walked towards him, gently taking his hand. He put his arm around her waist and she put hers around his. Slowly, the two began to dance together, with Paul spinning her around on the odd time. She giggled and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes.

"Thank you, Paul," she said, looking back up at him. "This is perfect."

"I try," he smirked, stopping. He then moved a bit of hair that was in her face and smiled, embracing her protectively and lovingly.

"You look beautiful tonight, Dawn."

She took in a deep breath and shut her eyes again, resting her forehead against his. She then planted a gentle and light kiss on his lips, as the world around her seemed to disappear.

This was the perfect end to her first year.

And after everything that had happened, she was glad it did.

Because that's just how crazy and beautiful life really is.

. . .

That's the end.

I've actually finished this _whole _story.

And wow, what a year it's been!

Seriously, writing this story has been tough, but I've enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you to all of my reviewers. You've managed to stick with me throughout it all, even if I did let you down on the odd time!

Anyway, that's the end of _Crazy Beautiful Life. _Not too bad for my first attempt at a proper story, I think! Who knows what my next plan is? I've got a few ideas in mind, so I'm sure you'll hear more from me in the future. Be sure to check out the poll on my profile at a few of the ideas I have in mind, and choose the ones you like the sound of the most!

Most of all, I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it and I hope you all continue to review and support other authors on FanFiction.

For now, that's all from me.

Take care,

Charityx


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